


If You'll Be My Star I'll Be Your Sky

by Xazz



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: F/M, Fairies, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Supernatural Creatures, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, forest creatures - Freeform, tree house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-01 21:17:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5221148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xazz/pseuds/Xazz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say you shouldn't go into the woods on the other side of the river. Its an old forest. Monsters are out there. That's what everyone always says. Lucy isn't afraid of the woods though. At least not until she has a run in with monstrous stick man and is saved by a creature known as a ekummi. But how safe is she when ekummi are blood drinking monsters themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Main pairing is DesLucy. DanLucy is going to be in the second chapter aaaaand, its kinda minor? But also there (they're gonna smooch at least once/twice before they break up). So DanLucy shippers might wanna save yourself the heartache.

There was an old forest near the village. The trees were tall and the forest floor shady and cool in the hot sun. A river ran around the forest so the forest never grew beyond the river, closer to the town. They said there were monsters in the forest. Lucy had only ever seen deer and bear and foxes there. The adults insisted there was something else in that forest and that the river kept them safe. They were foolish though. Lucy had never seen anything.

She knew she shouldn't go into the woods closest to the town. But when she saw easy game she couldn't help himself. She'd be fishing at the river and see a deer or a rabbit and she'd put her line down and grab up her bow, jump across the rocks on the river to the other side and go hunting. When her parents asked where she'd gotten the good game she'd lie and say from the glade on the other side of town that was halfway up the hill.

Dappled sunlight danced on Lucy's arms as she moved through the forest. She'd seen a deer with a great display of antlers through the trees and had wanted to get it. She didn't know how she was going to get it home, she normally didn't successfully kill a deer when she saw one. Today would be different though. She could feel it. Today she'd finally get her first deer. How she'd get it home would be another challenge but she'd figure something out. She was a smart girl and always found a way.

She followed the buck down a deer trail to a clearing. The trees still loomed overhead but under the canopy there was a free space of earth. Ringing the clearing were mushrooms and for a second she hesitated. She recognized fairy rings when she saw them. They were supposed to be dangerous.

A twig snapped and she looked towards it. She saw her buck on the other side of the clearing and entering the forest. 

Lucy pushed aside her foolish thoughts. Fairy circles were only dangerous when the fairies were active, which was usually around dusk. It was still midday. And the quickest way to catch up with her deer was through the fairy circle.

Lucy stepped through the line of mushrooms and headed across the clearing that suddenly wasn't a clearing. A great living oak shimmered into view in front of Lucy and she couldn't help but gawk. The oak took up most of the space in the clearing, it's great boughs heavy with hanging moss and brightly colored paper lanterns. A spiral stair was cut into the side of the tree that led up to the center of the tree. No, not cut, rather it looked like it had been grown out of the side. In the middle was what looked like the nest of some giant bird on first glance but then the more Lucy stared the more defined it became. Soon she saw it not as a nest, but as a house made of branches and sticks spun together into a sort of come shape. A house in a tree. Lucy couldn't stop staring.

She heard a noise and twisted. Nothing was there and she looked for her deer. The deer was long gone by now.

Slowly Lucy approached the tree, holding her bow tightly in one hand. She knew she should run. Nothing good came  from interacting with the fair folk. But she just wanted to see. Just a moment. She stood directly under the doorway of the house and looked up. She gave a little jump when something crawled out from the nest. At first she thought it was a monster and then she saw it for what it was. It was an eagle. A _gigantic_ eagle. Only it had claws at the peak of its wings like hands and was hunched like a bat. It crawled out of the house and up into the branches. There it pulled itself into a more upright position like a normal eagle and flew away. Lucy watched it go in awe.

"What do you think you're doing here?" a voice asked and Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked up at the doorway and saw what looked like a man standing there. They were tall with clothes patterned like the forest and the most intricacy stitching done in shimmering golden thread and revealed his full, bare, arms dotted with tiny silver tattoos. His skin was the color of clay mud and he wore a hood to hide most of his head and face.

"I uh-- uh. I was just-

"Get. Before I get hungry," the fairy said and before Lucy could even think about it she turned and ran. The tree became a clearing as she passed the mushroom ring. She ran and ran and ran, crashing through the underbrush all the way back to town, jumping the rocks in the shallows until she could see her house. Only once she was safe in the town did she turn back to see if anything had followed her. There was nothing there. Her eyes were drawn up to the sky and she saw an eagle flying far up in the blue, slowly circling. At this distance she couldn't see if it was the strange eagle-bat from the fairy tree but she wasn't keen on finding out either.

She went inside and tried to forget all about it.

—

A few days later Lucy was out with her older brother. Nick was four years older than her and to an eleven year old that was as worldly as could be. Her brother was an apprentice at the town hunting lodge. Lucy wanted to go too when she was old enough but her parents weren't keen on it. It didn't stop her from going out by herself or her brother to go hunting. Deer were a bit too ambitious for her but with Nick around they were completely possible. If nothing else he could haul the deer over his shoulders and carry it home if it was a doe and would know how to take a buck home.

Lucy had her bow with her and Nick had his own bow, but it was bigger and significantly more powerful. Lucy was following behind him as they moved through the woods on the safe side of time. There wasn't a lot of game here though. The animals knew the town heavily hunted this part of the forest and so lived in the part inhabited by the monsters. And where the fairies lived. She couldn't forget that part. Nick didn't know that though.

Ahead of her Nick sighed and squatted. “What's wrong?” she asked as she came to stand beside him. 

“We've gone by all the normal places the lodge normally finds game,” Nick said, running his hand through his blonde hair. “We haven't seen a soul.”

“Could rain be coming?” she asked, looking up at the clear sky. 

“No,” Nick sighed again. “I think the animals are tired of being dinner.”

“So what's that mean?”

“It means they went somewhere safe. Either deeper into the woods, further than we should go without gear. Or they went somewhere we can't go.”

“Like where?”

“The other side of the woods,” Nick said thoughtfully. “Across the river.”

“We aren't supposed to go there,” she said and felt her arms prickle in goose flesh as she remembered what she'd seen when she'd ventured there.

“I know,” Nick said and turned them around, walking west and away from the sun. “But what they don't know won't hurt them.”

“Hurt who?”

“The hunters, or the rest of the town,” he said. Lucy hesitated before following her brother through the trees. 

They walked in silence for a while before they came to the river cutting through the trees. Nick stopped at the bank and Lucy joined him nervously. “We shouldn't be here, Nick,” she said.

“Forest,” Nick called, ignoring her. “We seek permission to enter your land. My family is hungry and I need to provide for them. There is no game on this side of the river. I seek permission to cross.” Lucy stared at her brother like he was crazy. Nick stood there several seconds before he said, “Okay, we can cross,” and he waded into the river.

“What? But Nick-

“It's fine. C’mon. So long as you don't take without asking whatever guardians this forest has is usually okay with hunting in it. At least if you aren't hunting for sport. It doesn't like that one bit. Now c’mon,” he beckoned. Lucy bit her lower lip before following into the slow moving river. The water came up to her calves before they'd crossed the river and were on the other side. 

On this side of the river birds sang and Lucy got the impression that animals were all around them. Before the forest had seemed quiet and empty. Twenty feet across the river had made all the difference in that. “You sure this is okay?” she asked.

“Lets keep it our secret,” Nick said and put his finger to his lips giving Lucy a wink. Lucy nodded and followed Nick into the wood. At a point Nick stopped and stared into the trees. Lucy looked where he was looking and when he crouched she immediately hunkered down behind him. A hundred yards away there was a buck with an impressive set of antlers. Nick put his fingers to his lips and Lucy nodded.

Nick slowly took an arrow from his quiver and straightened his back, drawing his arm back and pulling the bow string to his mouth. Lucy held her breath before Nick let the arrow fly. It landed in the deer’s front haunch. Probably not where Nick had aimed, but close enough. The buck whirled in confusion and scampered off. “Stay here,” Nick ordered before taking off after the deer. Lucy didn’t even have time to call after him before he was out of ear shot, slinging his bow behind his back as he ran.

Lucy watched her brother disappear into the woods and swallowed. She looked around to make sure there were no mushrooms anywhere. There were none except for some that grew up the side of a tree a dozen or so feet away. Safe mushrooms and no chance of being part of a circle. She looked back to where Nick had gone jerked forward when she heard the sound of a screaming deer. She vibrated, unsure if she should follow the sounds to her brother. He’d said stay here. He’d come back for her. She stayed put.

Before the other day Lucy had never felt ill at ease in the forest. Today though every sound was a monster and every shadow flickering overhead was that eagle-bat thing. She went to a tree and sat at the base, waiting for her brother. She put her bow down next to her and pulled her knees up to her chest. She should have stayed home.

Time passed, not a long time, but enough to notice the passage of the shadows. Lucy had to assume Nick had killed the deer and was assembling a sled or something to get the buck home. Lucy didn’t like being alone out here but she also knew wandering would be a bad idea. If nothing else she had no way to tell her brother she’d just gone home and she didn’t want him to get lost either. Or go looking for her thinking something had happened to her. People got lost in the woods all the time. Sometimes they were found, but often they weren’t. Or their skeletons would be found. Thinking about that made Lucy hug her knees tighter to her chest, she wanted Nick to come back so they could go home.

Above her the tree moaned in the wind. She looked up. There was no wind. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she stared at the boughs. She held very still and clapped her hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming when she saw eyes staring back at her. They were pure black and was half hidden in the branches but she could see a vaguely humanoid shape covered in a black carapace like a beetle. It rattled the branches a little and Lucy was too terrified to move.

The monster began to climb down the tree. Very slowly, head first with a neck that was far too long for its body. Its legs bent at horrible angles and Lucy couldn’t look away. It reached a hand down to her, their fingers disturbingly long and ending in short, cruel, claws when there was a thud and the creature screamed like an injured deer. A silver arrow was now lodged in the thing’s hand, pinning it to the tree.

Lucy looked around and saw a figure standing in the distance. They were hard to see but their white bow was clear against the green and brown of the forest. Was that Nick? Three more thuds landed above her and the creature thrashed. It yanked the arrows out and scrambled up the tree back into the branches. The tree thrashed like it was caught in a great wind and then was still and the trees in a path leading away from her were caught by the wind storm of the creature moving through it, away from her. 

Shaken Lucy looked back at the figure in the distance. There were now two figures. A taller one, and a smaller one. The bigger one held the bow and was looking down at the smaller one. Then the taller one walked away, following the thrashing trees. Lucy stayed stuck where she was, unable to move and staring at the smaller figure who was watching the other leave. They seemed to disappear into the forest and what had just happened caught up with her. 

Lucy let out a choked sob before crying openly into her knees. On top of it all she’d pissed herself a bit and that just made the entire experience worse than it already was. She wanted Nick to come back and for them to leave the forest. She didn’t want to be a hunter anymore and she never wanted to come back to these woods. Never ever ever.

“Why are you doing that?”

Lucy’s head jolted up and she let out a little scream at a figure suddenly standing right in front of her. She hadn’t even heard him come up to her. This time she wasn’t frozen and she scrambled around the other side of the tree.

The boy, because it was a boy, leaned around the tree. “Now why are you doing that?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. They looked as old as her brother Nick, but taller. The boy had skin like polished wood and soap colored eyes, shifting in the light but more brown than not. He was covered head to toe in the colors and patterns of the forest and she could see his outfit was complete with a hood he wore down so she could see his face. On the lower part of his face, along his jaw and the crowns of his cheeks he had intricate silver tattoos.

Silver tattoos like the fairy she’d seen the other day. The boy wasn’t a boy. He was a fairy.

“St-stay away from me,” she managed to spit out.

“That isn’t very nice. Especially not after my father just saved you from a stick person,” he said.

“A what?” Lucy asked.

“A stick person. Though my father’s been hunting that one a while. He doesn't like the stick people in our home.”

“Please- go away. I just want to wait for my brother in peace,” Lucy said and rubbed at her eyes which were still leaking tears.

“But it's dangerous in the woods with stick people around,” he said.

“Fairies are dangerous too!” Lucy said.

The boy blinked. “I'm not a fairy,” he said. I'm an Ekimmu,” he said it rather proudly. “Fairies are annoying snacks who sing and dance too much.”

Lucy hesitated. This boy, the father he spoke of had to be the creature she'd seen the other day in the tree. “Yet you live in a tree in a fairy ring,” she says. For some reason she thought it acceptable to argue with a strange boy in the woods about his own nature. “That must make you a fairy.”

“No. Father didn't make that place.”

“Then what? You found it abandoned?”

“What? Oh no,” the boy said. “We ate everyone there and made it our own,” as he spoke he smiled at her like it was the most normal thing in the world. Lucy’s eyes widened and she ducked behind the tree again, wishing her brother would come back. The boy laughed, it wasn't a mean or evil laugh. It sounded more like he thought she was being funny. “Don't worry. Humans taste gross. We don't eat them.” She glanced up and he was right next to her again. She hadn't heard him even move. She scrambled away and he just giggled. “You're a funny human,” he said, but not meanly.

“Lucy!” she heard Nick call her name from rather close by. He was looking for her.

Lucy jumped to her feet. “Nick!” She yelled, cupping her hands towards the sound of his voice.

“Aww,” the ekimmu boy said. “Well, goodbye,” he said. “We should play again,” and when she looked back at him he was already far away, leaving her alone.

“Lucy!” Nick’s voice was louder now and she moved around the tree. She saw her brother coming towards her, dragging a sled made of saplings with the dead buck tied to it. She sprinted to him and collided with him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing.

“Hey- woah what's the matter?” he asked, voice laced with concern. He pried her off him somewhat so he could crouch in front of her. “Lucy what's the matter? Why are you crying?”

“I wanna go home!” she wailed.

He just stared at her in open surprise. “What happened? I wasn't gone that long,” he said and rubbed her back. “Did you pee your pants? Lucy what happened?”

“Th-there was a stick man,” she blubbered. Nick’s eyes widened. “And it climbed down the tree and then, and then,” she took a deep breath to try and stop her trembling voice and hitching breath. “And then it was shot by someone and ran away.”

“By someone? By who?”

“A ekimmu.”

“I… Have no idea what that is,” he admitted.

“It eats fairies!” she cried.

“O-kay,” Nick said slowly. “C’mon,” let's go home,” he said and stood back up. Lucy grabbed his sleeve, still sniffling and rubbing her nose as they walked toward the river. They crossed at a shallow part and Lucy bounded across it before waiting for her brother to follow. 

“Lucy,” Nick said as they came in sight of town. She looked up at him, holding his sleeve again. “Let's not tell anyone we went into that part of the woods.”

“Why not?”

“Well we aren't supposed to be there an apprentices like me aren't allowed to go there without a veteran. So it'd just be best if no one knew. Also if mom and dad knew you'd seen a stick man they'd wanna keep you inside.”

“I never wanna go into the woods again,” she declared.

Nick chuckled, “Alright. But let's keep it to ourselves anyway. I'd also get in _so_ much trouble leaving you alone in the woods.” She frowned at him but didn't argue.

They got home and while Nick was showing their uncle the stag he'd brought home Lucy went inside to change her clothes. She went to find her mommy after that and hugged her while her mother was making preserves. Bethany hugged her back and had Lucy help her with the cooking while the men worked on skinning and gutting the deer.

—

Lucy stayed away from the woods. She'd go down to the river to fish or swim but she'd stay on the safe side of the river. Nick didn't mention the stick man or the fairy eating ekimmu again and she didn't bring it up. By the end of the month it just felt like a strange and terrible dream. The entire memory didn't feel real. It felt like a dream. She did her best to forget about it.

It was late summer now and the wild berry bushes in the glade were in full bounty. Lucy’s mother sent her out to pick berries every few days for cooking and to be jarred for the winter. Lucy went out by herself for that and took two buckets with her down to the glade. Most of the berries made it into the buckets but some of them went right into her mouth leaving her mouth and fingers stained red or black depending on the berry she was picking. The glade was safe and peaceful. Though at this time in summer you did have to watch out for black bears. They rarely came this close to town though so it was pretty safe.

Lucy was picking blackberries today. She had one bucket nearly all the way full. A handful went into the bucket and she popped one or two berries into her mouth. She was going to spoil herself for dinner but she didn't care. The berries were fat and sweet and juicy.

She was going about filling the second bucket when she heard a rustle. Probably a rabbit or something. She didn't hear a bear. Regardless she looked up and around. Nothing. The most dangerous thing out here was a bear and she knew how to deal with bears. The image of the stick man assaulted her memory and dread washed over here. But there were no trees here but did stick people need trees?

“You left this in the woods,” a voice said and Lucy jumped when she turned around and saw a hand clutching her little bow. The hand was attached to the fairy eating boy.

“W-what?”

“You don't want it?” he asked. “Father says one should always keep their weapon close. You left yours in the woods around the widening quarter,” he said and offered it to her a bit more thoroughly.

Lucy reached out slowly and took hold of the bow. “Thank you,” she said slowly. “Uh… What are you doing here?”

“Giving you back your bow,” the ekimmu boy said. “And you're the only human I've ever seen. Well, alive human at least,” he added. Lucy took a step back from him warily. Could she outrun an ekimmu? She didn't even know what one was. She just knew it ate fairies and that probably wasn't a good thing.

“Di-did you eat it too?” she swallowed. 

“Yes. It was dead already though,” he added quickly. My father found it after a stick man killed it. You can't just let fresh meat go to waste.”

Lucy felt like she was in a dream. Was this really happening? She was having a conversation with a juvenile monster creature like it wasn't terrifying. “The stick man,” she said, “did your father kill it?”

“Yes,” the ekimmu boy smiled. “Stick men aren't welcome in our forest.”

“And did you eat that too?”

“Of course not. That's icky. Stick men have no blood, there's nothing to eat! They're all crunchy like a beetle and hollow on the inside. Totally gross,” he stuck his tongue out to show his distaste. Lucy caught herself giggle. The ekimmu boy leaned over the bush, towards her. “What was that?” he asked.

“What was what?”

“That noise you just made,” he stepped through the bush towards her. She took another step back, but only a small one.

“You mean my laugh?”

“Maybe?”

“You don't laugh?”

“No. Do again, it sounded pretty.”

“I… Well you only laugh when something is funny,” she said.

“Really? That's so weird. What did I do that was funny?”

“The face you made,” she said.

“This face?” he asked and stuck his tongue out again. She smiled at him. “You didn't laugh,” he informed her.

“Things you see a second time aren't likely to make you laugh,” she said.

“So you can only laugh at something once?”

“No,” she laughed a little.

“Ah! That noise! I like that noise. Ahahahahaha,” he said mechanically and that just made Lucy laugh harder. “I'm not doing this right. How do you make that sound.”

“I don't know. It just happens,” she giggled.

Suddenly the ekimmu boy was right in front of her and before she knew what he was doing her hand was on her throat. Just a few fingers but it made her freeze. “You stopped,” he pouted.

“You're touching me,” Lucy swallowed.

“Is that bad? I want to see what a laugh feels like,” he said with absolute conviction, voice full of curiosity.

She wanted to tell him to stop touching her but she was also afraid of what he'd do. He freely admitted to eating fairies and dead humans. Why not a live human? “Then do something funny,” she said once she'd mustered a bit of courage. If she just did it he'd stop touching her.

“Something… Funny,” he said thoughtfully. Then he crossed his dark soap bubble eyes and made the silliest face. She giggled again. “Oh,” he said and then took his hand away. “It's like a purr. Like this,” and he made a rumbling sound in his chest and throat that reminded her to the sound a cat made when it was happy. Only deeper, bassier.

“Not exactly,” she said. “Laughter is louder.”

“Hahahahaha. How was that?” he asked earnestly.

She snickered. “Not very good,” she told him. “It sounds so fake and forced.”

“Hmmm,” then he looked away from her abruptly. Beyond the berry meadow some birds were startled into the air. He looked up towards it and watched them fly across the sky. “I have to go now,” he said.

“Why?”

“My father is calling me home,” he said. She didn't know _how_ he knew that but she figured she didn't want to know either. “We should play again,” he said. “And you can teach me to laugh,” he smiled widely at her.

“I… Okay,” she said awkwardly. What else did you tell a fairy eater?

“What's your name?” he asked her.

“Lucy,” she said.

The ekimmu boy looked away from her, up to the flying birds again. A big hawk had joined the birds, hunting them. It moved strangely, it's wings seeming to have too many joints. “You should go home, Lucy,” he said, staring at the sky. Then he looked back down at her, “It can be dangerous in the woods for a human.” She nodded a little. “Goodbye,” and he stepped back into the berry bush.

“Wait,” Lucy called. He paused as he was about to pull up his hood that was the shape and colors of the tree canopy. He looked at her intently. “What's _your_ name?”

He smiled a little. “The forest calls me Desmond,” he said and he pulled up his hood and walked away. The shape of the trees quickly melted his form into abstract shapes before she couldn't make out his figure anymore.

Lucy stood there a moment longer before collecting her full bucket of blackberries and put it in the empty one. She took her bow and started to walk home with the bucket. As she did she glanced up and saw the eagle-bat flying with the normal forest birds. Maybe it wasn't interested in eating them anymore. Or maybe it had already caught and eaten one and she'd just missed it. She took her eyes off the sky and focused on getting home as she got the distinct feeling that when an ekimmu told you to leave the forest it was in your best interest to do so.

—

It was spring. The thaw had come and the river ran heavy with snow melt. Flowers bloomed in huge washes of colors across the entire land, across the meadow and glade and even under the canopy of trees. Lucy and some of the other town girls were out picking fresh flowers and herbs for their mothers. They weren’t very serious about it though. They chased each other across the meadow, laughing and sometimes tackling each other. They wove the fresh flowers into circlets that rested on their hair or small ones they draped around their wrists. Spring was Lucy’s favorite time of year. Mainly because she hated winter so much and the cold and snow and the thick, wet wool colored clouds that hung low in the sky, overburdened with snow. In the Spring the frequent rain showers enriched the earth and created rainbows and fed the flowers.

As the sun had passed its peak the other girls wanted to go back to town with their baskets of flowers and fresh new shoots of woody rosemary and fists of wild basil and coriander. Lucy was gathering up some extra dandelions for her uncle, who had pain when he passed his water, closer to the edge of the woods. From the trees she heard laughter and looked up. She counted the girls headed back to town. Five. The same amount she’d come out with. She stood slowly and squinted into the trees.

A shape moved and for a moment she saw the outline of a figure amid the rich greenery. 

“Lucy, you coming or what?” one of her friends called.

“In a minute!” she called back. “My mama wanted dandelion for my uncle.”

“Want us to wait?”

“No its okay. I’ll catch up,” and she waved them off. They shrugged and walked off, leaving her alone in the meadow.

The shape in the woods moved forward until they stood just inside the tree line. “You didn’t go with your friends,” Desmond said. “You have a bunch of dandelions already,” he cocked his hooded head at her.

“Its called a lie, Desmond,” she huffed.

“What’s that?”

“Its where you don’t tell someone the truth.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Would your father be happy if my friends knew about you?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. The ekimmu boy frowned deeply at that. His father didn’t like that Lucy knew about Desmond either but so long as it was just one little human girl he wouldn’t enforce restrictions on their odd friendship. He really didn’t like that Lucy had taught Desmond to laugh. Apparently ekimmu didn’t laugh, it had been a way people had warded them away long ago and physically  repelled them from the laugher. How something could laugh that was repulsed by laughter Lucy had no idea, but it did.

“No,” Desmond said. “I’ve never lied before.”

“Really?”

“No,” he said. “I don’t even know if I can,” he added thoughtfully.

“Try it?” Lucy said helpfully.

“What should I say?”

“I don’t know. Tell me something that isn’t true,” she said.

“Hmm,” Desmond thought and tapped his chin. “You’re the ugliest human I’ve ever seen,” that made her laugh. Desmond shoved his hood off and looked at her with concern. “I didn’t mean that,” he said quickly.

“I know,” she giggled.

“I don’t like lying. It makes my mouth taste weird. Like it has iron in it,” he grimaced.

“And you say you aren’t a fairy,” she teased him.

“I’m not!” he cried, more like whined if she was being truthful.

“Alright,” she said. “I need to catch up with my friends now.”

“What about me?” Desmond asked.

“What about you?” she asked as she leaned down and picked up her basket.

“Aren’t I your friend too?” he asked.

Lucy didn’t move a moment, unsure how to answer him. Since their initial encounter last autumn they’d met regularly. Desmond always found her in the woods, or near the glade or by the river, and would coax her to play with him. He was a very playful thing who apparently only lived with his father and his eagle-bat thing and his father was a very stern and protective man. Horrible for an energetic son like Desmond. Lucy found herself being the unlikely playmate to the strange humanoid all autumn and into the winter and now onto spring as well. But friends?

“Yes,” she said and wasn’t sure if she was lying or not. “But if I don't go then the others will wonder why I took so long and people will be worried.”

“Oh,” Desmond said. “Alright I guess. We'll play later,” he smiled at her.

“Sure,” she said. “Bye bye,” she waved and walked off towards her friends. She caught up to them by the time they reached the edge of town and they were starting to separate. She said goodbye to some of them and went home.

—

It was hot and humid in early autumn. Summer was still clinging to the world and the sun beat down relentlessly. The crops of family gardens and the farms on the safe side of the town were almost ready for harvest. Unless you had to most people stayed inside, out of the sun.

Lucy was twelve now. One more year and she'd be a woman. She wasn't looking forward to it. They married young out here. She still wanted to be a girl because once she was a woman she wouldn't be able to just go out into the forest or go pick flowers or do anything fun. She'd have to start to learn how to take care of a home, and babies. Oh she was not looking forward to the babies. Not that she didn't like them. They were just so loud and messy and smelly. Her uncle and aunt’s babies had been at least.

It led her to trying to enjoy as much of her girlhood as she could before she was expected to grow up and take on more responsibilities. Like going down to the river to swim in the middle of a hot day. None of her friends liked going with her. They were too scared to get close to the old forest to go to the river. Lucy wasn't scared though. Not anymore. Not like she had been last year. Desmond always told her when something was in the woods and then later boasted proudly to her that his father had killed it.

When she got to the river she removed her clothes and set it well out of the way to stay dry. The river was a bit chilly but not fully uncomfortable. Her body got used to it once she put her head under and came up with a happy sigh. She floated a bit, looking up at the clouds, before swimming around both with and against the current. She was out there all day, soaking in the last of the hot summer sun.

She was swimming with the river flow, under the surface of the water. She tried to stay down there as long as possible before coming up for air. When she did she gasped for air, sputtering, and pushing her hair back to make sure she didn't get more water in her mouth. She looked at the bank and gave a little scream of surprise. Desmond was squatting on the bank, watching her.

“Desmond!” she cried and then realized she was naked. She sank as low as she could into the water but still keep her mouth above the water. “W-what are you doing?”

“Me? What are you doing? Do you need me to help you?” Desmond asked. Where he was squatting he was vibrating like he was nervous or worried for her, wanting to move forward but also didn't.

“Why would I need you to help me? I'm just swimming.”

“Swimming? You can move through water without drowning?”

“... Yes, of course,” she said. 

“So you're not in danger?”

“No,” she said.

Desmond sighed in relief. “Oh thank goodness. I was worried.”

“Yes. I'm fine… Uh,  what are you doing here?”

“Well, you're here,” he said, like it was obvious.

“I'm here to be alone,” she said.

He made a face. “Why would you want that? Being alone is no fun at all.”

“You don't understand,” she said. “You just have your dad. Other people can be so annoying and loud and sometimes you just want to be alone.”

He frowned a little, “I guess that makes sense,” he said. “Do you want me to leave? Am I annoying?”

She smiled a little, “No Desmond. You're about the least annoying person I know.”

“Really? My father always says I talk too much. And laugh,” he grimaced. Then he changed topics. “I want to swim too.”

“Can you?”

“I don't know,” he said thoughtfully. “Can you teach me?”

“I guess,” she shrugged. “But first I have to put some of my clothes back on.”

“Oh, okay,” Desmond said, like he hadn't even noticed Lucy hiding her nudity. Who knew, maybe he didn't. Desmond was weird like that. Lucy swam back up river and Desmond walked along beside her. “Is it hard to swim?” he asked her.

“Not really,” she said. “Is that why you and your dad don’t cross the river? Because you can’t swim?”

“Probably,” Desmond said. “He doesn’t like water either very much.”

“Do you?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “He keeps me close when it rains, we stay inside. I’m not allowed near the river usually.”

“Why?”

“Probably the same reason you aren’t,” he grinned at her.

“To be fair, we wouldn’t eat you.”

“We don’t eat humans,” Desmond sighed longly and Lucy laughed as she finally made it to where her clothes were waiting for her on the river bank. “I told you that.”

“Yes yes. Now turn around so I can put on some clothes,” she flapped her hand at him a bit. Desmond dutifully stood and turned around. Lucy waited a few seconds to make sure he wouldn’t actually turn around before going up onto the bank and snatching her clothes up. She pulled her small clothes on, and contemplated her skirt. She couldn’t swim in her skirt, so she withheld it. At least she didn’t feel self conscious about her chest. Some of her friends already had big breasts, Lucy didn’t. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she liked going out with Nick and hunting than staying in town. 

“Can I turn around now?” Desmond asked.

“Yes,” she said, wading back into the river. Desmond turned and she was waist deep. Despite there being nothing to see she still felt her ears heat up a bit. Desmond didn’t even seem to see what she was awkward about.

“So you’re going to teach me to swim?” he asked eagerly.

“Sure,” she said. “You should take off some of those long clothes though. Its hard to swim with pants and a cloak.”

“Okay,” and he yanked the entire shirt/cloak thing and tossed it to the side. He had more silver tattoos on his chest and all along his left arm that made his dark skin look like the bark of a tree. He always wore long sleeves, and the tattoos ended at his wrist. He hummed a little and Lucy couldn’t help herself and put her hand in front of her eyes when Desmond went to take his pants off. Did forest creatures have small clothes? “Why are you doing that?” he asked.

“Just get in the dang river,” she said hotly.

“Hmmm,” and she heard Desmond’s feet splash a little as he waded in. 

“You up to your waist?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, his voice close, she took her hand away, he was standing right in front of her. It wasn’t the deepest part of the river here, only a few feet deep. She did _not_ glance down to see if forest creatures had small clothes. “The water feels weird,” he said.

“Like bad?”

“No, just weird,” he reached behind him and scratched his back and looked up at the sky. His dark eyes searched the blue.

“What are you looking for?” she asked him.

“My father’s eagle,” he said. “He keeps an eye on me when I leave home. My father would be so mad if I was here in the river. But I don’t see hiimmm,” he said and looked all around. “So I think I’m safe.”

“Your dad seems really strict,” Lucy said.

“He can be,” Desmond shrugged.

Lucy wanted to ask more but refrained. “So first you need to float,” and she floated upright in the water, sinking down till just the top of her shoulders were above the water. Desmond mimicked her and sank instantly. She laughed as he sputtered and batted at the water and climbed back up to a sort of standing position. “You okay?” she asked, still giggling.

“Yes,” he said and rubbed his ear a little.

“Try again,” she said and he did. He tried to float but every time he just sank. “Its like you’re too heavy to float,” she said.

“Is that bad?”

“Well it makes swimming more difficult,” she said.

“But you can swim without floating?” she nodded a little. “Show me.”

So Lucy did and sort of dragged him to a deeper part of the river upstream where he couldn’t so easily stand or bang around. He struggled with it and splashed a lot, making her laugh as he tried to get even a basic paddle.

“Maybe I’m not meant for swimming,” Desmond sighed after several hours of hilarious failure.

“Maybe,” she said. “Your father could keep you away from the river so you didn’t drown.”

“Ehg, I guess,” he lamented. “You don’t have any trouble doing it. Uhg. How annoying.”

“You can’t always be good at everything,” she said. “Like I’m bad at some stuff too.”

“I hardly believe that,” he said.

“Its true. I’m terrible at cooking, and I always miss whenever my daddy asks me to help my brother cut wood so the logs are off center. I’m not good at climbing trees either.”

“Ah, now that I _am_ good at,” Desmond said.

“See. You’re just not a good swimmer.”

“Yeaaah,” he sighed. “Well, no point staying in here,” and he splashed and dog paddled to the shore and climbed out. Lucy sort of covered her eyes but she heard water splashing onto the rocky shore. Too much water to just come off his hair. She lowered her hand in time to see Desmond from behind. As she’d had Desmond swim towards her all day she’d missed the giant black hole in his back that was currently pouring water. She gasped. “What?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

“You… your back,” she couldn’t help but point. “Its empty.”

“Hmm?” Desmond turned a bit more and then reached back. His hand went into the empty hole without complaint. “Ahg. Its full of water. Gross,” he grimaced. “Think if I hang upside down from a tree it’ll all fall out?”

“You have a hole in your back!” she cried.

“Yeah? You don’t?”

“No!”

“Huh. Humans are weird,” Desmond said simply.

“Doesn’t that hurt? Where’s all your organs… do you _have_ organs?”

“It doesn’t hurt. Why are you being so weird, its totally normal,” Desmond said and turned around. Lucy slapped her hand across her eyes. Ekimmu didn’t wear small clothes. “Now what are you doing?”

“Go put on your clothes,” she said, her ears bright red.

“Okay? You don’t have a hole in your back?”

“No,” she said firmly.

“Hmmm. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t swim, it was full of water,” then he laughed. “That’d be funny.” She heard him walking along the shore and peeked out from between her fingers. Desmond was walking back upstream to where they’d left there clothes. Lucy swam across the river to the forest side and climbed out, following Desmond by a dozen or so paces. Desmond found his clothes, shook them out, and wrapped his cloak around him, but nothing else. “There, I have clothes on,” he said, sort of pouting at her.

“You should put on your pants,” she said.

“Uhg. Humans,” but did comply. Then he turned and grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her around. “Huh, you really don’t have a hole in your back. How weird,” he declared and with semi rough, curious, fingers pressed at her back like he could make it appear.

“Says the boy with the hole in his back,” Lucy huffed.

“Your skin is soft,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Your skin. Its soft,” and then he removed his hands from her. “Ah shoot,” she turned around and saw Desmond looking up. She followed his gaze. “That’s my dad’s eagle,” he frowned and she saw the smallest shape of a bird high in the sky. “I need to go before it finds me here.”

“Okay,” Lucy said, turning back to him. Desmond pulled on his clothes and ran his hands through his short hair. Before her eyes it went from sopping wet to dry and fluffy and her eyes became huge.

“What?” Desmond asked.

“Magic,” she said.

He blinked at her, “Yeah?” he asked.

“You didn’t tell me you’re magical!”

“I… don’t see how that’s important,” Desmond said, cocking his head to the side at her. “Shoot shoot, it saw me. We’ll play again!” and then he darted into the tree line. Lucy stared after him with big eyes and a slightly open mouth. What in the world?

—

Winter could be harsh. Lucy was one of the few that went out in it for any length of time. The river froze over thick enough to walk across. It also acted like a natural road, the snow not piling up as much on the ice as it did the ground, the frozen water a bit warmer than the rest of the earth. Hunters walked along it on their way to find their deer or check their traps on the safe side of the water.

Lucy used to the river to get into the the old forest without having to swim. Instead she had to wade into the snow. This time of year it came up to her knees. She didn’t mind though and kicked her way through it. She found Desmond standing on the top of the snow, hardly making a dent in the thick snow. His clothes reflected the season. Thick and colored like winter, sharp and crisp with distinct lines. He was watching her crash through the snow before stopping in front of him, breathing a bit harder than normal.

“Hi,” he said.

“You know no one likes a show off, Desmond,” she said.

He looked down at his boots and lifted one. “Can’t help it,” he said, giving her a smile and she laughed. His smile widened. She gave a little noise of surprise when Desmond held both his arms out a bit and all the snow made a light thump as it was flattened into the ground in a three feet circle around where they were standing.

“Show off,” she scolded him gently.

Desmond laughed a little. “Maybe a little.”

Lucy stepped back away from him before falling back into the deep snow. “Come keep me warm,” she said, laying a few inches in the snow. The cold was seeping into her back already and she could feel the chill on the back of her head through the fur lined hood. Desmond laid down next to her, on top of the snow. She didn’t see or hear him do anything, but she did feel warmer at once. “Ah! Perfect. Perks of knowing an ekimmu.”

“What? They keep you warm in winter?”

“Something like that?” Lucy grinned.

They laid there, side by side for a bit. Lucy closed her eyes, at peace. It was so quiet out here except for their breathing. She knew she shouldn’t stay out too long. Her mama would worry and she’d promised Daniel they’d spend time together. She rather liked Daniel. Nice young man. Sometimes prone to anger outbreak, but never violent. Her mama was so happy Lucy liked someone. She’d resisted for a while before grudgingly accepting her fate of liking boys. She wasn’t totally happy with the whole puberty thing but she was handling it.

She just didn’t think about it. Instead she just dozed in the chill of winter.

A shadow passed over her, too dark to be a cloud. She opened her eyes and flailed, breaking the tension in the snow. Desmond’s father was standing over them. Her movement roused Desmond as well and he shot to his feet.

“Dad-- w-what are you doing here?” Desmond stammered a little and Lucy half hid behind Desmond’s legs.

Desmond’s father looked them both over, then she felt him stare at her. She couldn’t quite be sure though. He wore his hood up and hid his eyes. “You don’t belong here this season,” he said. Then he looked up at Desmond, “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times-

“Its nothing,” Desmond said. “It isn’t-- it isn’t anything. We were just enjoying the snow.”

Desmond’s father sneered. “You’re almost an adult now. Stop playing with your food. Its disgraceful.”

Lucy looked up at Desmond fearfully. His face burned in humiliation. “I’m _not_ ,” he said. “I told you.”

Desmond’s father looked down at her again and she shrunk away from him, from both of them. “Deal with this, then return home. I won’t remind you of this again.”

“Right,” Desmond said, cowed. After a moment his father left. Desmond waited till he was gone before looking down and back to her. Lucy stared at him. Then what his father had said jangled in her head. ‘Stop playing with your food.’ She lurched to her feet and ran. “Hey! Lucy!” Desmond yelled after her but she didn’t stop and crashed through the snow the way she’d come to the frozen river and the safety of home.

He tackled her from the side and they tumbled in the snow. She kicked and thrashed, “Let go!” she screamed.

“Ow- ow stop kicking me. C’mon stop it,” she wrestled with her hands and eventually had her pinned by straddling her and shoving her arms deep into the snow. “Just stop,” he said, short of breath.

“Let go. Get off me!” she cried.

“No.”

“You’re going to eat me. Get off!” she screamed again.

“I’m not- I was _never_ going to,” he insisted.

“Your father said you were-

“My father doesn’t like you!” he yelled. “He doesn’t like that I’m friends with you. He keeps... “ he sighed hung his head a little.

“Keeps what?”

Desmond sighed again. “So… we… do sometimes eat humans,” he admitted shamefully. “I lied about that. He keeps telling me to stop playing so nice and just ‘get it over with’. But I never was. I swear,” he insisted. “You’re my friend.”

Lucy was shivering in the cold. “Get off me,” she said, her voice thick. Desmond hesitated. “If you’re my friend then get off me,” she said. He got off her and she rolled away from him. They crouched there, looking at one another. “What’s an ekimmu?” she asked.

“Its… a blood drinker,” he said. “I don’t even eat. I just-- drink,” he said.

“Your father’s an ekimmu right?”

“Yes.”

“So… what? He goes out looking for things to eat and you suck them dry?”

“No,” Desmond said. “We usually let them live after.”

“Those fairies you stole your home from? You killed them.”

“Hey, I didn’t do _anything_. It’s been like that since I was born.”

“And where’s your mother? If you were born you have a mother.”

Desmond was quiet a second. “She was a forest spirit. Humans killed her when they cut down her tree,” he said. Lucy’s heart clenched a little hearing that. “My father took me to his territory, here, and raised me.”

“So you’re only half ekimmu?” Desmond nodded. “So, what? You aren’t a freaky psychopath like your dad because you’re part forest spirit?”

“Don’t be mean,” he said. “Humans brought him to this land, thinking they could use him for something and he’s got no way to get back. He’s not a native here. I think he sees me as all he has of his old home. There are no other ekimmu in this land. Just us. We only hunt to live, which is more than I can say for your people.”

“And he wants you to eat me.”

“Yes. These past two years. He’s losing his patience with me.”

Lucy was quiet for a little bit. “Maybe we shouldn’t be friends anymore,” she said. Desmond blinked at her. “I don’t want your father to be angry with you, and you don’t want him to hurt me. We… shouldn’t be friends anymore.”

“But I want-

“Well it doesn’t matter!” she snapped. “You lied to me and your dad wants to eat me! Why would I want to be friends with things that want to eat me? That would?” She stomped to her feet and marched away. Desmond caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She threw his hand away. “Get away from me. Leave me alone,” she barked.

“But Lucy-

“I said go away!” she yelled, turning on him and giving him a push. It didn’t do as much as she wished it would. He was still bigger than her. At least he looked wounded. “I don’t want to play with you anymore,” she said, keeping her voice level through sheer will. Then she turned around and walked away. Desmond didn’t follow her this time. 

By the time she made it to the river she had to wipe her eyes so she could see where she was going. The wet clung to her cheeks as tiny pieces of ice and she scattered them onto the frozen river as she walked home. She wouldn’t be going hunting with her brother any more.

 


	2. Chapter 2

When she’d been little Lucy had hated playing with boys. They were all stupid and mean and if she pushed them after they pushed her she always got in trouble for it. Though it was hard to compare when Nick was so great and nice to her. No other boys in town were as good as Nick. Then she’d grown up and this time when she pushed back against men they liked it.

Or one did at least, and that was all that mattered. Unlike the other guys his age when Lucy would snap at him or punch him for being an asshole or not let him push her around like other girls would Daniel liked it. Maybe it was an internalized weird thing. She didn’t know. She did know that Daniel didn’t just put up with it, he encouraged her to repeatedly call him on his bullshit and bad behavior.

That’d been three years ago. Now she didn’t know any other way. Her mama didn’t know  _what_  she saw in Daniel at first. His father worked at the mill and his mama was as will-less as they came. She’d frowned at first when they’d play together as children but had stopped as they’d grown up and started spending more time together. Unwatched time together. Nick, of course, didn’t like Daniel at all. Lucy supposed Nick wouldn’t like any boy she showed interest in though, she ignored his opinions on Daniel for the most part.

There was one thing about Daniel though that Lucy hated. That was that he went into the town over that had a bar, got drunk, started fights, and stumbled home beat up. Like today when Lucy went over to his house after his boss at the store had told her he hadn’t shown up for work. 

She peered into the little house’s windows. The house was two rooms. A bedroom and a kitchen/living area. Daniel was passed out on his bed fully clothed, his face a few shades of purple. She frowned deeply and went to the front door and pulled out her key. He’d given her one so she could come over when she wanted. Especially since recently her brother Nick had become more irritated by Lucy and Daniel’s relationship. She didn’t care that her brother was man of the house. She was grown.

Lucy looked down at her boyfriend who hadn’t even noticed her enter. He snored softly and she could smell the drink on him. Half of the money he made working for Mr. Auditore down at the store went right into his drinking habit. The rest into food and other things. Daniel always said he wanted to marry Lucy but she was smart enough to not marry a drunkard.

She poked him a bit, he grumbled in response but otherwise didn’t wake. She roughed him up a little to rouse him. No dice. “Fine,” she huffed and went outside, grabbed a bucket from the porch and walked down to the well. She filled the bucket a third of the way and went back inside. Daniel was still sleeping.

Lucy threw the water onto him and he woke with a start, flailing his limbs and falling right off the bed. She stood over him, hands on her hips, bucket in her hands.

“The hell-“ Daniel looked up at her blearily. “Damnit woman!” he grunted.

“Get up. You’re late for work,” she ordered.

“Fuck work,” he said and rolled into a sitting position.

“Get up, Daniel,” she said again.

Daniel groaned but got to his feet. “Fine,” he complained. “I’m up. Happy?”

“More so,” she said and tugged on the lapel of his coat. His blue eyes were a bit more alert now. “I’ve told you not to go down to the bar.”

“I do what I want,” he groused.

“That attitude is why I’m not going to marry you,” she said.

“Uhg, not now,” he pulled away from her and ran his hands through his wet hair. Lucy knew when she could push, and it wasn’t now. The only thing Lucy didn’t like was his drinking, but Daniel’s father disapproved of _everything_ Daniel did. Didn’t know a trade, didn’t have a future, could barely hold his job at the store, couldn’t provide for his future family, this and that and in Mr. Cross’ eyes Daniel was an absolute failure in every way. He wasn’t of course, most men their age didn’t have a house of their own, small though it was, or had an actual paying job. Most were still journeymen learning a trade and only got paid a small amount of what they made for their masters. That or they worked out in the farms, which made no money except during the harvest or when someone bought some house craft their wives made. Daniel didn’t like when Lucy, who thought he was doing good with his life, brought up the three times she’d denied him when he’d asked if she’d marry him. 

If nothing he was persistent but she wasn’t going to marry a drunkard. Her father had been a drunk and drunk himself to death. That was what her mama said at least. Her uncle said he went out into the woods one day, drunk as a skunk, and just never came back. Regardless he was dead now and Lucy didn’t want to have a drunk husband like her mama had had.

“Get dressed, get down to the store. I told Mr. Auditore you’d be along in a little bit,” she said sternly.

Daniel sighed but he couldn’t even be mad at her. Well he could but that didn’t make her any less right. “ _Fine_ ,” he complained.

“If you didn’t go out drinking you wouldn’t be hungover and lame right now,” she reminded him. “But you have responsibility, more than the other boys in town. All they have to do is kiss their master’s ass enough to let them have their rank.”

He deflated somewhat. “Okay,” he said and Lucy smiled to herself. “I need to get dressed,” he said.

“I’ll see you after work,” she said, coming around to his side and kissing him on the cheek. That perked him up a little.

“You should come see me at work,” he said.

“Can’t. I’m spending time with my brother today,” she said and Daniel scoffed. If Nick didn’t like Daniel the feeling was more than mutuel. “See you later,” another kiss on the cheek and she left his house.

Nick was waiting for her at the hunting lodge. He was sitting on the stairs leading up to it with his powerful recurve bow. He was the only hunter in town with one when he’d bought it from a traveling merchant caravan. It made him the envy of most of the hunters. He also had a bow for her, which surprised her. When she’d started to become a woman Nick had become very against Lucy dealing with weapons. Maybe their mother or uncle had spoken to him about it and he’d stopped asking her to come with him on hunting trips. But that had also been the winter she’d stopped being friends with Desmond.

“A bow?” she asked when he handed it to her. She hadn’t used one of these in like three years. She tested the string and it was a difficult pull. She’d never be able to draw this thing. She suddenly felt ashamed of her own weakness.

“Just as a precaution,” Nick said and got to his feet.

“Nick, you know I don’t want to go out in the woods,” she said.

“I know,” he said. “But I was just thinking about years ago when we’d go out together. You seemed so happy.”

“I’m still happy,” she said.

“ _Happier_ ,” he said.

“Nick-

“C’mon, lets go. We’ll stay on our side of the river,” and he guided her away. She didn’t want to go with him but, to her surprise, she also felt that she did. She wasn’t afraid of the woods, she’d just avoided them to avoid seeing Desmond.

They entered the forest in silence and it was comfortable. Lucy hadn’t been out here in years but her body remembered and she fell into an old pattern. She followed behind Nick a few steps, watching where she put her feet and tried to only walk where the ground cover was light, or damp from yesterday’s rain. Around them the forest was alive with the sounds of insects.

Nick stopped her after a bit and crouched. Lucy immediately took a knee and looked at where Nick was looking. Not a deer, but a group of rabbits. Lucy loved rabbit. He looked at her and then at her bow, offering her one of his arrows from his thigh quiver. She tested the string again and decided what the hell. She took the arrow and pulled it back slowly. The motion was easy for about five seconds before her arms started to tremble and the muscles in her back and shoulders protested profusely. She attempted to line up a shot and let go. Her arrow flew wide out to the side and the rabbits scattered.

Nick laughed.

“Yeah very funny,” she snapped.

“I guess my hope for a miracle was too much,” he told her affectionately. “There’s a blind just up ahead. We can wait in there for a deer or something.”

“Fine,” she said and followed her brother up a ways. 

The blind was a small wooden hut, slightly dug into the ground covered in branches and leaf litter with an open back wall you draped a patterned curtain across. Nick went right down into it and sat on one of the stools there. “I’ve never seen one of these,” Lucy said. 

“Yeah only the hunters know about them really,” he said. “Its our little secret so the other people in town or the other lodges don’t just go out and use them whenever they want.”

“I see,” Lucy sat on the other stool and they watched the forest beyond the shadowed window. She glanced around the blind and saw that there was an oil lamp as well as several quilts folded neatly on a wood constructed platform to keep it off the dirt. “Do you use them in winter?”

“Yes. Especially in winter. Otherwise it gets _way_ too cold just sitting in one place all day. That and we can turn the lamp on during the day to help keep us warm. Now shhh, deer have great hearing.” Lucy nodded and they were quiet, watching the forest. They still had conversation, but it was in whispers. They talked about dinner, and their uncle’s health, Nick’s wife and the baby on the way. They didn’t talk about Daniel. As it was Lucy was the last of her friends to be unmarried. Their mama didn’t bring it up but Lucy knew a lot of townsfolk thought she was odd for not marrying a nice boy like Daniel. Once she could stop Daniel from drinking every other night or so she’d be happy to marry him. But not now.

The sun moved across the sky. “I need to relieve myself, keep watch,” Nick said and patted Lucy’s shoulder as he got up and left the blind. Lucy nodded as Nick left the little structure. At one point she saw movement through the trees but when she looked harder she couldn’t see what it was.

Why was she even out here? She’d told herself she didn’t want to go into the woods anymore. She looked down at Nick’s pack and pulled out some jerky to eat and when she looked back there was a turkey. A fat turkey and her brother was nowhere in sight. She looked at the bow and knew she’d never get it. She picked up Nick’s recurve bow and it wouldn’t even bend when she pulled the string. What was she supposed to do now?

Behind her something moved through the foliage. She expected Nick to enter the blind. He didn’t and she looked behind her. The cloth hadn’t been rustled but she still felt ill at ease. She got up and peered around the cloth. Her eyes went wide.

Against a tree, not five feet from the back of the blind, was a bow. A pure white bow in an elegant curve that no human had ever made. She immediately thought of her encounter with the stick man so long ago. Desmond’s father standing there with his white bow that had driven the stick man away and, she assumed, later killed. She looked around. She didn't see either ekimmu anywhere. From the front of the blind she heard the turkey coming closer. She didn't want to just let the bird go without trying.

She stole out of the blind and snatched up the bow. It was unimaginably light and felt comfortable in her hand. Lucy went back into the blind and picked up an arrow. She drew the string back and felt almost no resistance. Not a magic fairy her ass.

Now all she had to do was pray. Her arms trembled a little from the uncomfortable position but otherwise her aim was true. She hoped she didn't over or under compensate for a weapon like this. She held her breath, counted to three, and released.

It wasn't a killing blow but she _did_ hit her target. It skewered the turkey’s leg and pinned it to the ground. It let out a great amount of noise that was slightly overshadowed by Lucy’s cry of delight and wonder.

She put the white bow down and scrambled out of the blind, having at least the thought to grab her brother’s knife as she went. She went around to the front of the blind and jogged out to the turkey that was flailing its huge wings and thrashing. She couldn't get close enough to just kill the ugly thing  and it was getting blood everywhere as it tried to stand and walk away.

There was a thud and a silver arrow appeared in the bird’s wing, pinning that too. Lucy looked around but saw nothing no one. “Desmond?” she asked. No answer. She waited a few more seconds and then around the blind her brother appeared.

“Look at that!” Nick cried happily. “You hit something.” He approached her. “You going to do it or do you want me to?” he asked her.

“Here,” she happily handed her brother the knife and he cut the turkey’s neck open. It flailed and then lay still. Lucy picked both arrows out of the bird and her brother picked it up by its feet so the blood would drain.

“My little sister the hunter. Great job. And with one arrow no less.”

One? But she clearly had two in her hand. Did he not see the silver arrow?

“I think that's enough for today,” Nick said. “Let's get home and show everyone what you nabbed.” Nick was still beaming at her and she smiled. It seemed like such a long time since her brother was so proud of her. They went back the the blind and gathered their things. Nick didn't mention the white bow and still hadn't mentioned the silver arrow. The arrow was almost metallic in feel, similar to the bow, and completely smooth with stiff white fins of the same material on the back. It looked more like a crossbow dart than an arrow truthfully.

Nick took Lucy’s bow back when they got back to town but didn't ask for the white bow. He told her to take the turkey home and he'd be there shortly after. She did and her mama was thrilled by the wild bird. 

Lucy washed up from her day out in the woods and forgot she was supposed to go see Daniel. Instead she sat on her bed, the bow in her lap and looking out the window. She wasn't sure how to feel. She knew where the bow, a bow only she could see apparently, had come from. But why? Not to mention it was in the wrong side of the river. Why had Desmond been out there at all?

She didn't know. It made her feel strange. Lonely, maybe. That was about as close as a word as she could put on it. She didn't know why she felt like that. But she did.

She hadn't thought about Desmond in years and all of the sudden he was on her mind and she missed her strange forest friend. That was the lonely feeling she felt. She sighed and put the bow away where she wouldn't see it or think about the ekimmu.

—

This was stupid. She shouldn't have come out here, but she had. She stood on the far side of the river, looking into the forest. She didn't enter though. She had the white bow and the silver arrow in her hand. Behind her the river babbled over some rocks.

“I know you're out there,” she called, feeling stupid and foolish. “Desmond,” she called. No answer. She sighed and hung her head a bit, kicking at the rocks. “You don't want to play?” she asked the forest.

She waited and a minute or so later a form moved out from behind some trees. She held very still and prayed it wasn't another stick man, or Desmond’s father. Then they came forward and she could see their form. She swallowed. It wasn't Desmond, it was his father, wearing his hood up and a sleeveless shirt displaying the silver tattoos on his arms. She almost ran before she got a better look at them. No, not tattooed arms, just one.

Desmond came and stood just inside the tree line, his hood up, casting most of his face in shadow. “Hi,” he said and she was shocked by his voice. It had been higher the last time they'd spoken. A boy’s voice.

“You left this,” she said and held out the bow and arrow to him. “Don’t you want it?” she asked when he didn’t take it.

“No,” he said. “I gave it to you.”

She scowled at him. “Well I don’t want it,” she hoped she didn’t sound bitter. She’d put him out of her life and he’d left her alone for years and now suddenly he was back without her consent. It just made her mad. “I don’t want anything to do with you, I told you that,” she threw the bow at him childishly and he caught it one handed. The arrow pinged off him harmlessly and shattered into light when it hit the forest floor.

“I was just trying to help you-

“Well don’t!” she yelled. Her chest clenched after that. That had been so mean. Meaner than she’d intended by his change of body language.

Desmond looked down at the bow a moment before holding it out to her. “Its yours,” he told her.

“I told you, I don’t want it.”

“Huh, don’t like hunting anymore then?”

“I haven’t been in the forest in years,” she said.

“I know,” he said, tone sad. He pulled the bow back and snapped it in half over his knee. For some reason Lucy wished she’d stopped him. Then he tied the broken ends together, the material no longer sturdy enough to support the draw of an arrow. “Maybe this suits you better now?” Now he held a knife, like one you’d use to clean meat or chop vegetables. It was a woman’s knife for use around the home. For a second she resented him for that, that he assumed she was a house wife. But wasn’t she?

Lucy took it, slowly, hilt first. “Leave me alone,” she said.

“I miss playing with you,” Desmond said, like she hadn’t even spoken. He pulled off his hood as he said, “You were my only friend who could really talk. The others are just animals, and well, they can’t really talk- You okay?” he asked.

Lucy was just… staring. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was older and could appreciate it or if Desmond’s face had actually changed but seeing him now all Lucy could think was that he was actually really cute. The next thought was what the hell was wrong with her? She’d heard that fairies lived a long time, and never seemed to change. She wasn’t sure if that was true for other forest creatures but she’d sort of expected Desmond to look exactly the same he had four years ago.

“Lucy?” Desmond asked again and she blinked, pushing back her surprise.

“Yeah well your dad wanted you to eat me,” she said, “that doesn’t really work for friendships.”

“But I _didn’t_ ,” Desmond said. “He wants me to do all sorts of things ekimmu do. I don’t cause I don’t need or want to. I don’t even eat half the food he does, I don’t need to. It annoys him.”

Lucy couldn’t help herself but be terribly curious. “Why not?”

He stepped a bit closer to her but she had no where to really go but back into the river. She didn’t feel in danger even as he stepped out of the tree line. “You probably don’t remember,” he said, “I’m only half ekimmu, I’m also a forest spirit. They don’t eat. They get life from the sun,” he looked up at the sky, towards where the sun was. “I _don’t_ need to drink blood like my father does. I would have _never_ hurt you. Not then, not now.”

Lucy knew she shouldn’t let him talk to her. Not with his kind smile and shimmering eyes that she couldn’t look away from. He was practically a will-o-wisp. But Lucy was sometimes a foolish girl and didn’t do things she was supposed to do.

“So what do you want then?” she asked him.

“Just— be my friend again. That’s all.”

“Will your dad be mad again?”

“Probably. Not that I care. I’m grown now and he can’t tell me what to do.”

Lucy hesitated. Her memory of her friendship with Desmond had been a happy one. She’d never been afraid of him even though she knew he wasn’t human. She thought she should say no and walk away. Her head was telling her that was the right choice. Her heart said otherwise. “Okay,” she said.

“Really?” he asked and then smiled hugely and she hated she thought he was sort of handsome. “Thank you,” and then to her surprise he hugged her. He only did so briefly.

“For what?” she asked and felt a strange chill clinging to her clothes like they’d been left in the cold and she’d just put them on.

“For trusting me,” he said.

“Yeah, well, I can’t come and play all the time. I have things I have to do now.”

“That’s fine. Even if you only come by sometimes,” he said patiently. “Just come to the woods and call my name. I’ll come.”

“Okay,” Lucy said slowly. “I need to go back now,” she said. He nodded and she turned around and waded through the shallow river to the other side. When she looked back Desmond was still there, now inside the tree line. She could only really see his face, his body matching with the foliage too well. She turned around and walked back to town holding her white knife.

—

From inside the house she heard her brother arguing with someone. It quickly blew into a fight and Lucy left the vegetables she was chopping for pickling and went out to see what it was. She found Nick and Daniel having a grappling match to the side of the house where Nick had been chopping wood.

“Hey! Stop that,” she yelled and went over to them. They ignored her. She grabbed her brother’s arm and hauled him back, away from Daniel. They lost their footing and was dragged back. Daniel lunged at him but Lucy got right between them and Daniel came up short, looking down at her, their chests almost touching. When Nick tried to reach around her she smacked his arm down and pushed him further away.

“What is going on out here?” she demanded.

“You, get off my property,” Nick pointed an accusing finger at Daniel. “If I see you on it again it’ll be the last time.”

“What! Nick calm down,” Lucy said, turning to her brother.

“I am calm! Get off my land Daniel before we have a problem.”

“You are obviously _not_ calm. Go inside,” she pushed her brother again because she knew Daniel. He was stubborn as they came and wasn’t going to leave just because Nick told him to. “Go inside Nick, I’ll make him leave.”

Glaring Nick stormed into the house, leaving Daniel and Lucy alone. “What was that?” she asked Daniel who was fuming and had murder in his eyes after the fight. “Daniel,” she grabbed his hand which snapped him out of fight mode.

“I was trying to be respectable,” he said in a weak apology.

She pulled him around to the front and off their property and onto the street. She looked back at the house and saw Nick angrily looking out the window at them both. She gave him a look and he just scowled at her. She took Daniel down the street. “What were you doing?” she asked him once they were out of sight of the house.

“I just—“ he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I thought maybe I could have a civil conversation with your brother about us. I uh- asked him if he’d let me marry you and he didn’t like that very much,” he grimaced.

“You asked him- Oh Daniel,” she gently tugged on the front of his shirt. “I could have told you that would have been the worst idea ever.”

“I was just thinking about what you said the other day,” Daniel said. “And, well I don’t want you to think I don’t listen to you.”

“You never listen to me,” she teased him. “I’d have to butter him up before you could ask him something like that. You know he’s particular since I’m his little sister.”

“He’s like my dad, doesn’t even give me a chance,” Daniel frowned.

“Well I know you’re good. That’s what matters, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Would you-

“Daniel,” she said patiently. “My answer isn’t going to change overnight just because you decided to ask my brother. You know what I want to say yes.”

He sighed, “Alright,” he said. “I’ll work on it, I promise.”

“That’s all I care about,” she said, smiling at him.

“I just don’t want to screw this up,” he said and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.

“Daniel, in public?”

“What? Should I be against everyone knowing I’m in love with a beautiful girl?”

“You’re silly,” she said.

“When I care to be,” and he kissed her again but did respect the fact that it made her a bit uncomfortable so didn’t do it for very long. “I guess you have to go deal with your brother now?”

“Yeah,” she nodded a little.

Daniel sighed a little, “All right.” He squeezed her hand than walked past her to his own house, hands in his pockets. Lucy watched him go a few seconds before turning back towards home and marching back there. She opened the door loudly.

“What is your problem?” she demanded of Nick who had calmed down somewhat.

“My problem? My problem is my baby sister is in a relationship with a drunk!” Nick cried and Lucy closed the door to keep the fight inside. His wife Kate was in the sitting room, watching them, worry in her eyes. She’d been trying to calm Nick down but Lucy had just kicked him back into agitation like a wasp’s nest.

“Who I’m with is none of your business. You don’t even _know_ Daniel.”

“I know he goes down the road to get black out drunk all the time. That’s all I need to know about a guy like him. You might not remember dad, Lucy, but I do. He was terrible. Drank all the time, I hardly remember him being sober. I won’t see my sister be with a guy like our dad.”

“He’s not,” Lucy insisted. “And I can marry him if I want, I just chose not to. You think I don’t know he’s sometimes a drunk? I’m a girl, Nick, not a moron. He’s already asked me to marry him three times. I always say no, no I won’t marry him cause he’s a drunk. I can take care of this myself Nick, I don’t _need_ you to tell me how to be in the relationship I’m in.”

“Well maybe I do and you wouldn’t be in this one now.”

“I like Daniel.”

“There are plenty of nice, non drunk, boys in town,” Nick said, motioning with his arm to the outside. “Why’d you have to pick him?”

“Cause everyone else is stupid,” Lucy spat. “Or seem like the sort that hit their wives. I’d rather have a peaceful drunk husband than one who’d hit me. How about you think about that before basically becoming one for yelling at your sister in front of your pregnant wife,” she motioned to Kate who was visibly upset by the entire thing.

Nick deflated instantly at seeing that he’d caused his wife distress. He looked at her and she had the most bewildered look on her face. He looked back at Lucy suddenly feeling helpless and beaten. Lucy stood her ground. She wouldn’t be made to feel bad for her choices.

“I’m going out,” she said when Nick had no response.

“Where? It better not be to his house-

“It isn’t,” she snapped. “And it isn’t any of your business. I’ll be back before it gets late,” and she walked out. She left town and walked out to the river. She crossed upriver at a shallow point and stood in front of the forest a moment before entering the trees. “Desmond,” she called softly and waited. She was starting to feel foolish, standing in the trees all alone, when he appeared from the foliage. “You came,” she said.

“I said I would,” Desmond said, standing there, his hood up, but not so much she couldn’t see his face. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

She smiled at Desmond helplessly. This was why she’d come out here. Desmond was so separated from normal life, from the worries people had. He’d grown up all alone in the woods with his father. He probably had no concept of human relationships or why she and her brother would fight over something like her relationship with Daniel. With Desmond it was simple, easy. “No,” she said. “I just missed you.”

Desmond smiled brightly at her, “I missed you too. Not every day, but almost.” She wouldn’t tell him that in the past few months she’d almost succeeded in completely blocking the memories of him out of her mind. Then last week he’d given her that bow and then turned it into a knife and he couldn’t get him out of her thoughts. “I figured out how to swim,” he added, rather proudly.

“Really?” she asked, joining him deeper in the trees.

“Yeah. You’d think I’d look silly if I showed you though,” he said somewhat shyly.

“You can show me some other time,” she said. “My day hasn’t been the best. I just wanted to spend time in the quiet.”

Desmond was looking down at her and nodded. “There’s a nice spot I know,” he took her hand and led her into the forest. His hand was warm, smooth, and strong. She felt safe when he held it though she knew the forest could be dangerous. They walked for quite a while, deeper than Lucy had ever been into the woods. Then they passed out of the trees into a fairly large clearing. 

“Oh,” she said. No trees grew here, and it was like a pond made of grass.

“I like coming here to enjoy the sun,” Desmond said. “It can be so dark in the forest.”

“Its lovely,” she said and walked out into the clearing and laid down on the grass. Desmond came around and laid down near her. She sighed contently and closed her eyes. “This is just what I needed,” she told him.

“I’m glad I could help.”

Lucy opened one eye and looked at him, “Thank you,” she said. He just smiled at her and she closed her eye again. She dozed until Desmond roused her as it was getting late.

“You should go home,” he said, the sun was setting. She nodded and he guided her home. This time he kept her close to him, practically with his arm around her so she didn’t get too far from him.

“Is the forest more dangerous at night?” she asked him.

“Very,” he said with absolute seriousness. “I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you at night because I didn’t keep you right with me.”

“You’re sweet,” she said. Desmond didn’t smile at that. Rather his face was very serious. He took what he said to heart. They made it to the river without incident and Desmond crossed with her, walking partial way to the town until the buildings were closer.

“You’ll be okay from here,” Desmond said. “I don’t want anyone to see me.”

“Why not?”

Now Desmond did sort of smile, it was a funny smile, “I’m a forest thing. We don’t mix well with city things.”

“You and I get along fine,” she pointed out.

“Yeah. But you’re special,” Desmond said. “Goodnight. Call me again if you want to play, or just spend time together. I like either,” he gave her hand a squeeze and before she could reply he quickly walked away and was swallowed up by the early evening light.

—

During the day Lucy worked around the house, helping her mother and Kate with everything they needed to do. It was the same as it'd always been and no one noticed a change. Sometimes she'd go see Daniel, never anywhere private, always out where they could be seen so her brother didn't burst a blood vessel. She'd have to wear him down about Daniel but in the end she always got her way with her brother. She was his baby sister and he loved her desperately. If she pushed at it enough he'd relent and actually give a blessing of Daniel asked to marry her. But not until she forced his hand.

The other days once her chores were done she’d cross the river and ask the forest for Desmond. He’d come and they’d go into the woods. He showed her things she’d never seen, at least not up close. His presence didn’t startle the animals and they allowed him and Lucy right up to them. Lucy always got a thrill from getting close enough to stroke a deer’s nose or pet the head of a rabbit.

When she called him that day he arrived quickly. “Hi,” she said, smiling at him.

“Its been _forever_ ,” he whined at her.

She giggled, “Its been a week and a half,” she scolded gently. “I’ve been busy.”

He sighed, “I know. But I had something I wanted to show you.”

“What?”

“C’mon,” he offered her his hand. She took it and he led her into the forest.

“Desmond,” she asked as they walked. He ‘hmmed’. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Why did you give me that knife?”

“Because you’re my friend,” Desmond said, stopping and took her other hand, facing her. Dappled sunlight played on his hood and shoulders and she could see his smile under the shadow of his hood. 

“Its magic,” she said.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“You and your father both have a white weapon too,” she said.

“Yes. Though my father didn’t make his. He isn’t ‘magic’. He’s just a blood drinker,” she shivered at that. “My mother made it for him. Before she died. I made my own, and one for you too. Do you still have it?”

Sheepishly Lucy pulled the white knife out of a pocket in her dress. Lucy sewed all her own clothes and she _needed_ pockets, otherwise she went crazy. “I keep it with me all the time,” she admitted.

Desmond’s smile was so warm it made Lucy flush. “That makes me so happy,” he said.

“What is it though? The knife, the bows?” She put the knife away as Desmond started walking again, holding her hand.

“My father says forest spirits make _things_ to reflect their essence. My mother’s was a chalice that could purify any water. She made my father a bow that would never run out of arrows, because he’s a hunter.”

“Yours is also a bow,” she said.

“No,” he shook his head.

“No? Wasn’t that you who shot that arrow at the turkey?”

“Yes. With _your_ bow.”

“But I left it in the blind.”

“I can move faster than you can imagine,” Desmond said, “and shoot a bow faster than any person you’ve ever met.”

“Then what’s your essence?”

Desmond took something from his belt. It was a white flute. “Don’t think its silly,” he said.

“Why would I do that?”

“My father did. Then he got over it,” he put the flute away.

“Then why did you give me a bow?”

“The last time I saw you you were a hunter, like my father. Also you needed it. I realized when I saw you again that of course you’d be mad I gave you a bow. You aren’t a bow. You’re a knife.”

“When you say it like that it sounds sort of silly,” she said.

“Do you use it?” she nodded. “That’s good. I almost made it look different but figured it’d be better if it was actually useful to you.”

“But why… did you give it to me at all?”

“I told you. You’re my friend,” he squeezed her hand. Lucy just accepted it and let Desmond lead her deep into the woods. “Here we are,” Desmond said. They’d come to a lightly wooded meadow filled with berry bushes and tall grass.

“Oh,” Lucy said. Desmond pulled her into the meadow and she thought they were here for the berries. She squeaked and hid behind Desmond when a black bear lifted itself onto its back legs to look at them. It huffed and snorted at them before dropping back down. “Desmond, that’s a bear,” she whispered.

“I know,” Desmond said and while she couldn’t see she could hear his smile. “C’mon, I wanted to show you her.”

“What?” she cried in a whisper when Desmond pulled her towards the bear. She almost dug her heels in but reminded herself that Desmond was her friend. He’d never let her get hurt out here. She stayed behind him regardless, keeping close to his back as they rounded the bush.

“Its okay,” Desmond said, offering the bear his hand. The bear sniffed at it and licked the top of his hand. Lucy watched in amazement. The bear became totally uninterested in them and went back to combing the bush with her teeth to get at the mid summer blueberries. “Look,” Desmond motioned and Lucy looked down and saw two impossibly fluffy bear cubs. They were each as big as Desmond’s torso but were still very small compared to their mother.

“Desmond,” she couldn’t help sounding fearful. She grabbed the back of his cloak when he knelt and touched the cub. When he stroked its head she clenched the fabric fearfully. The cub cried out in surprise but the mother bear just glanced down at Desmond and her cub and went back to eating.

“Its okay,” Desmond told her again. “They won’t hurt you. Now come meet the cubs,” he reached around behind him and gently pulled her forward. He put his arm around her waist and that made her feel safer as she knelt next to him. The other cub was interested in the two of them and romped forward, knocking over their sibling and eagerly sniffing at Lucy.

Lucy reached out in wonder and gently touched the top of the cub’s head. It sniffed at her but didn’t run away and didn’t cry out when she ran her fingers through its soft and springy fur on the top of its head or along its neck. “Amazing,” she said.

“They came into this part of the forest a few days ago. I wanted to show you but you didn’t come by,” Desmond said. He pulled his arm from around her and lowered himself onto his belly and elbows. One of the bear cubs went right up to him and pressed their face against his. Desmond smiled and ruffled their fur making them squeak playfully.

They spent the rest of the day in the lightly wooded meadow. The mama bear spent most of the day eating while her cubs played with Desmond and Lucy. They were big enough that Lucy had to be slightly wary of their teeth and claws but they never hurt her. Even their playful biting was soft as a teething baby. They liked chasing Desmond and Lucy around the tall grass, crashing into them and rolling in the field. 

It was late afternoon when the mama bear decided she’d had enough of the berries here and needed to take her cubs away. She shepherded them away from Desmond and Lucy, back into the forest. Lucy flopped down in the grass, staring up at the bright blue sky, her body still awash in wonder and awe of playing with baby black bears.

Desmond stood over her, looking down at her, “That was fun,” he said, smiling.

She beamed at him, “Yes! It was,” she agreed. Her stomach growled a little. “All that running around made me hungry,” she giggled.

“Wait here,” and then Desmond went off. No problem for her. She closed her eyes, a smile on her face. This was the best day she’d had since the last time she came out to the forest with Desmond. She heard him around the meadow and then come back and sit beside her. “Open your mouth,” he said. She opened one eye at him a little and just saw him sitting there. She opened her mouth and something small and round dropped into her mouth. She squished it between her teeth and found the sweet taste of a blueberry.

Her eyes opened some more. “I love blueberries,” she said. She loved any berries really, but blueberries were up there.

“Open your mouth,” Desmond said again.

“What? Going to feed me like a baby bird?” she asked. He laughed and nodded a little. Smiling still Lucy closed her eyes and Desmond dropped several blueberries into her open mouth. They were delicious.

“All gone,” he said a short time later.

“Aww,” she opened her eyes and sat up. Above the sun was low in the sky, still above the tree line but sinking quickly. “I should start to get back,” she said.

“Yes,” Desmond nodded wisely. “It isn’t safe for humans this side of the river at night,” he got to his feet and helped her up.

“Are their monsters out here, Desmond?” she asked him as Desmond guided her back through the forest to home.

“Sometimes. They’re good at hiding. My father usually takes care of them though. Rogues come into the woods too, and woodsmen. Neither are good to cross.”

“A woodsman? But they aren’t bad. They just hunt in the forest.”

“And cut down trees,” Desmond said and shivered a little.

“I see,” Lucy said. A forest spirit like Desmond probably didn’t like those who cut down trees. “But there are bandits out here? Don’t the monsters attack them?”

“They have swords and fire. Most of the forest creatures don’t like either. Either they can’t take the iron, or can’t take the fire.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Can you do iron or fire?”

“Fire,” Desmond said, “I do not like fire, at all.”

She squeezed his hand as they walked, “Well there have been no forest fires around here in decades,” she said. “So there is nothing to burn down your forest.”

“I know,” he bobbed his head. 

“Oh, a road,” she hadn’t realized they were so close to the road that ran between her town and the next closest where Daniel went to drink.

“I thought it’d be easier if we took the road,” he said. “Faster too. I worry when we stay out too late.”

“About what?”

“About you,” he said and when he looked at her Lucy felt her ears burn a little. “Though forest monsters have difficulty crossing roads, and rivers,” he added thoughtfully.

“You don’t,” she said.

“Forest spirit,” he smirked.

“Well aren’t you a clever thing,” and she squeezed his cheek teasingly. That made him laugh and bat at her playfully.

The sun set behind the trees as they walked. They met no one. After a while Lucy could see the bridge that crossed the river leading to town. Someone was walking across the bridge, headed for them. Before Lucy knew it Desmond had seemingly vanished from her side. She looked around for him and saw a slight motion in the trees. Right. Desmond didn’t like being seen by humans that weren’t her. 

She continued walking towards the bridge, Desmond keeping pace with her in the trees. The figure quickly came into view. “Daniel,” she said to herself and wondered how she was going to explain herself. Why was she out on the road at this hour, alone. Where had she been all day?

Daniel stopped in front of her, looking at her like he’d never seen her before. “What are you doing out here?” he asked her.

“I was— berry picking! Yes, berry picking for my mother,” she said.

Daniel looked her up and down, “You don’t have a pail,” he said.

“I was scouting for the bushes I was going to pick tomorrow,” she said.

“Really? Huh, didn’t know you did that.”

“What are _you_ doing here?” she asked him, anything to get him to stop asking about where she’d been.

Guilt flashed across his face. “I was- uh— going to the next town over.”

“To drink?” she asked sternly.

“Maybe. I haven’t gone in five days,” he added quickly. “Improvement right?” he asked hopefully.

She relaxed some. “Yes, it is,” she said, stepping in front of him and cupping his face. “Don’t stay out all night drinking,” she added.

“Its just tonight,” he said.

“Daniel-

“Hey, I’ve been good,” he said, sliding his arm around her waist. “And my dad’s been pretty bad lately. I’m just going to have a few drinks. I won’t even miss work tomorrow,” he promised.

She pursed her lips at him a little. “Please don’t stay out all night,” she said.

“I won’t,” he said.

“Alright.”

He smiled slightly and kissed her. “Thank you for trusting me,” he said.

“I always trust you,” she said.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow. When your brother isn’t home,” he added and she giggled. He kissed her one more time before releasing her and they went their separate ways.

When Lucy arrived at the bridge Desmond stepped out of the trees. He looked the way Daniel had been walking. “Who was that?” he asked her.

“My suitor,” Lucy said.

“Oh,” Desmond looked very deep in thought. “What was that goodbye he gave you?”

“What? When he kissed me?”

“I think so?”

“Have you never seen a kiss before?”

“Animals don’t kiss,” Desmond said very seriously. “And the only people I’ve ever known are you and my father.”

She wrinkled her nose, “Yes. Your father doesn’t seem like the over affectionate type,” she said.

“When he wants to be,” Desmond said. “What’s a kiss for?”

Lucy felt herself flush a little as she said. “You kiss someone you’re in love with. Someone you have a deep connection or bond with. Trust and companionship and friendship.”

Desmond blinked at her, “I see. It seems very serious.”

“It is,” she assured him. “Men and women don’t kiss unless they have feelings for one another.”

“You have feelings for Daniel?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Even though he was doing things you don’t like?”

“Yes, Desmond. You make compromises for those you love so they are happy.”

“Hmm,” Desmond said. Then he looked up. Lucy followed his gaze. An eagle flew in a circle above them in the indigo sky.

“Your father?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Is that a forest creature too?” she asked, the longer she watched the eagle the more wrong it looked. Its wings were wrong and its shape was so strange. The thing looked twisted and broken flying up there.

“Its a desert creature, from where my father came from,” he said. “It helps in hunts,” the way he said it left little to Lucy’s imagination about what sort of things an emmiku would use an eagle-bat to hunt for. “My father uses it to keep an eye on me, or summon me home.”

“Well you shouldn’t keep him waiting, and I shouldn’t keep my mama waiting,” she said.

He looked down at her. “Yes,” he said. “Call me when you want to play again,” he said and smiled.

“I will,” she promised.

“Goodbye,” he said and to her absolute surprised leaned down and kissed her. Not like Daniel had but with the same intent. Then he walked away like he hadn’t just left her in turmoil and before she could find her voice to call him back he was gone.

Lucy stood there at the edge of the bridge long enough to notice the change in the light of the setting sun. She was still looking at where Desmond had left by. Then, still stunned, she walked across the bridge and made her way home. She felt like she was in a slight daze as she went home and saw her mother and brother. She helped her mother finish dinner and ate without really talking to her family.

When it was bed time she laid in her bed and stared out her window at the forest a ways off. What was she supposed to do with all of this?


	3. Chapter 3

A month passed. Lucy stayed in town, not even venturing near the forest. She thought she was being sort of childish but she didn’t know how to handle a kiss by a forest creature. She was human. How did that even work? Not to mention Daniel. Daniel who she did love. At least she thought she did. The event of that evening made her question herself on just about everything.

It especially made her question her white knife. Desmond said he’d made it for her, to reflect her essence, like his mother had made his father the bow. But what did that mean for creatures like them? She doubted a forest spirit just went around using their magic to create essence tools and weapons for anyone. Desmond’s mother had made it for his father, probably when they were together and might have wanted Desmond. Was it part of some sort of mating ritual between things like them? That thought always made her mind wander and go on long walks of thought and uncertainty. Desmond had said he gave her the white knife because she was his friend. But then, he’d kissed her.

She really didn’t know what to make of him or her white knife.

It didn’t stop her from using it though. It was perfect. The weight was natural in her hand, and fit exactly to her grip. The edge never became dull and even when she cut into tough vegetables or through bone the knife never faltered. It was a knife that could cut anything and she couldn’t stop using it around the house even if she wanted to. No one else saw the knife. Only her. She’d asked her mother once, what she’d been holding while holding the white knife. To her mother it just looked like any other kitchen knife. So at least she wasn’t cutting with something invisible.

The whole confusion with Desmond made her relationship with Daniel suddenly weird to her. She did love Daniel, and he was trying to be better, for her. Just when, basically, a fairy kissed you it tended to go to your head. She tried not to let it affect her and for the most part succeeded, but sometimes she’d catch herself thinking about the night by the bridge and her mind would replay the memory over and over again until she was red in the face.

In short. She was an absolute mess who didn’t know how to deal with what was going on or her emotions. What was she supposed to do now? She didn’t even know where to start.

—

It was late summer. Lucy had effectively avoided going near the woods for weeks. That was good for her. She didn’t want to face Desmond. She told herself because she didn’t feel that way but the truth was she was scared. She kept herself busy. Her nephew, Nick wanted a boy, was due soon, and Lucy busied herself with helping Kate sew clothes for the new baby and making sure there would be soft blankets ready for when they were born and toys to play with. That wasn’t when she was helping her mother around the house and the garden out back. Lucy hated weeding but this late in summer the weeds were persistent.

Between helping her sister-in-law and her mother Lucy also spent time with Daniel. She spent less time though. Or at least it felt like it. She was way too confused about what went on in a man’s mind to want to deal with Daniel (or even her brother honestly) for very long. With all this it kept her days busy and she rarely thought of going to visit Desmond.

After a long day Lucy liked opening her window and laying in bed until she got chilly enough to crawl under her blankets. Tonight she did just that. The wind played with her curtains and she lay looking at the ceiling, enjoying the gentle breeze. The moon was out, practically bright enough to read by! She stayed awake until she was cold before getting up and closing the window and crawling into bed.

As she was about to fall asleep she heard a gentle tapping on her window. Her first thought was she was imagining it. But it persisted. Then she thought it was a branch tapping her window. That was impossible though. There was no tree near her window. Her brow furrowed in confusion. What could be tapping on her window?

Then she remembered a story she’d heard from one of her friends. A romance. The two parties weren’t allowed to be together so they only met at night, the man tapping away at the girl’s window to signal the coast was clear for their affair. She smiled a little. Daniel.

Lucy got out of bed and went to her window. When she pulled back one curtain who was crouched at her window was not who she expected. She stepped back a bit in fright at the figure hunched close to her sill. They were clad all in black and seemed to shimmer like a shadow. Where their face should be under their hood was only a put of yawning darkness. A single slender finger was tapping on the window.

The figure shifted their head and allowed moonlight to be cast into their hood, illuminating their face. The dark eyes of an ekimmu looked up at her. Lucy blinked down at Desmond. He cocked his head at her.

Slowly she opened the window. “What are you doing here?” she whispered accusingly.

“I missed you,” he said with such gentle sincerity she felt bad for being so harsh.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

“Probably.”

“And keep your voice down. Someone will hear you.”

“Oh,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “Is something wrong? I haven’t seen you for nearly an entire pass of the moon.”

Lucy’s mouth worked a second, trying to come up with a good excuse. “I’ve been busy,” she said, weak lie it was. She felt even worse for the lie in seeing Desmond believed her. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Alright,” he said. “Will you come see me soon? The bear cubs said they wanted me to bring the pretty lady to see them again,” and Lucy flushed. She was glad it was dark enough to not see.

“Just the bear cubs?”

“Well the birds don’t sing as loudly when you stay here,” he said in quiet seriousness.

“Are you just saying that?”

“No,” he said.

“Why would it matter to them if I’m there or not?”

“Because the forest is becoming my forest,” Desmond said. “And you make me happy,” he beamed at her.

“And when I’m here you miss me,” she said gently, her heart warming. “I don’t always go to the forest, Desmond. What do you do when I’m gone?”

Desmond blinked at her, “Wait for you to come back?” Her chest swelled a bit at that.

“I’ll come see you soon,” she promised.

“Really?”

“Yes,” she said with a gentle smile.

“Okay,” he stood and his face was once more swathed in deep shadow. After a moment he cocked his head at her then seemed to think better of whatever he was thinking and gave his head a little shake. “I’ll tell the cubs you’re coming soon.”

“Goodnight, Desmond,” she said.

He turned his hooded head up to the sky blanketed by stars, the moon a fat crescent hanging high up among them. “Yes,” he agreed and looked back at her. “It is.” She laughed softly. Then he walked off. As he went she stuck her head out her window to watch him. He was quickly swallowed up in the long shadows cast by the other houses and she lost sight of him.

—

The next day, once she’d finished her chores, Lucy lied and told her mother she was going out to spend time with her friends. Instead she crossed the river and entered the cool shade of the forest. “Desmond,” she called out to the trees and waited.

She didn’t have to wait long for his tall form to emerge from the trees. “I’m so glad you came,” he said and before she knew it he hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. She still didn’t really know what to think about that or if Desmond even _really_ knew what he was doing. He’d grown up with his father (who didn’t seem the overly affectionate sort) and no one else but the animals and forest.

“I told you I would,” she smiled, if nothing else enjoying the hug.

He released her. “Wanna go see the bear cubs?” she nodded. He took her hand and led her into the forest.

She paid attention this time and now did notice that the sound of the bird songs were closer than before. She remembered when she went hunting with Nick on the other side of the woods. While she hadn’t ever fallen, the both of them had tripped a few times, or struggled through the low hanging branches. Lucy didn’t know if it was because Desmond knew where to go, or if the forest had retracted around them, pulling back roots that tripped and lifted branches up out of the way. She had no way to know because to her the forest looked the same it always had.

They walked for a long while before coming to a big rock that had been split down the middle, creating a sort of cave. “Wait here,” he said and let go of her hand to enter the cave. Lucy stood and waited, looking around the little clearing around the boulder. Desmond wasn’t gone long and came out being followed by the two black bear cubs. They wuffed happily upon seeing Lucy and romped right over to her, sniffing at her fingers and letting her stroke their heads. Desmond smiled brightly, watching.

They spent the rest of the day with the bear cubs. Desmond took them to fish in another stream that cut through the forest and fed the main river that separated the town from the forest. The cubs ran right into the stream, throwing water everywhere and wrestling in the shallows.

“Look, I can swim,” Desmond told Lucy and before she knew what was happening Desmond tore off half his clothes and splashed into the water with the two bear cubs. She saw the great hole in his back and it filled right up with water. The stream was barely up to Desmond’s chest at the deepest, but it was certainly deep enough to swim. “See,” he said proudly as he paddled around.

“I see,” Lucy said around the ball that had formed in her throat. When the _hell_ had Desmond become so attractive? She wracked her mind for what he’d looked like when they’d been younger and knew he’d been more child-like himself. Older than her sure, but child-like. Now he looked like a _man_. She didn’t see a lot of shirtless men either so it made her a bit hot under the collar. It didn’t help that he was good looking by any means.

She gasped when one of the cubs tackled Desmond in the water. For a second she thought the worst when he went under then they came up and Desmond was playing with it, smiling. She smiled watching them. After a bit of rough housing they settled down and one of the bears put their big mouth and nose right against Desmond’s face. They grunted and wuffed, one pawn hanging off Desmond’s shoulder. He looked at the bear, then over at Lucy. “You going to swim?” he asked her.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I don’t find it the most fun to be tackled by bears.”

“Hmm,” he turned and looked at the bear on him. She didn’t know what he was doing and then the bear shook its great head, throwing water everywhere. It splashed Lucy some and she jumped away with a yelp. “He said they won’t be rough with you,” Desmond said, patting the bear on the snout.

Lucy bit her lower lip. “They won’t?”

“Nope,” he promised.

She mulled it over a bit before deciding. What did she have to lose? She knew Desmond would never allow any harm to come to her. “Okay,” she said. “Turn around,” she ordered.

Desmond looked confused but obeyed. Lucy took off her skirt and her light coat and long shirt so she was just in her shift which went down to her knees. She psyched herself up a bit before wading into the water. “You can look now,” she said and was glad that at its deepest did cover most of her chest. When they’d been younger she hadn’t cared at being half naked around him. Now though she was a woman and it was more than a little inappropriate. Not to mention not even _Daniel_ had seen her wear so little. Yet here she was, with a forest creature, half naked in a stream with two black bears. How absurd.

Desmond turned around and didn’t even see her nakedness. As it was he was just wearing his pants. Too impatient to get out of them before he’d stumbled into the stream. “Water feels nice, right?” he asked her.

“Mhm!” she said and wondered if her face was red. Desmond grinned at her. “Do the bears have names?” she asked to distract herself.

“Hmmm,” he looked at the cubs who were happily relaxing in the water now. “I don’t think you could pronounce them,” he admitted.

“Why? Because I don’t speak bear?”

“Basically,” Desmond said. “Hmmm,” he was deep in thought. “Well, I guess you could call them some things. This one is Smell of Berries,” he patted one of the cubs on the head. “But not as if its a name, their name is the _actual_ smell of berries. And this one is Sunlight on Fur,” he ruffled the other one’s head.

“That’s so sweet,” Lucy said and moved over to the cubs. They were more than happy for the attention she gave them and as promised didn’t rough house with her like they did with Desmond. “What’s their mother’s name?”

“Snow Underfoot,” Desmond said.

Lucy giggled, “Those are nice names,” she said. Desmond put his face into Sunlight on Fur’s coat and she thought she heard him make some weird noises. The cubs them gruffed happily and waved one paw at her.

“They said thank you,” Desmond said.

“I figured,” and she waved her hand at them too. It made them both wave both their paws at her and she laughed and did the same.

They spent the rest of the afternoon with the bear cubs. They swam and romped in the shallows before Snow Underfoot came and collected her children. Sunlight on Fur and Smell of Berries both nuzzled Lucy and licked her face a bit before following their mother.

The bears gone Lucy pulled herself out of the steam to lay on the bank in the late day sun. Desmond dragged himself after her and leaned over to let the water spill out of his back. That made Lucy laugh a little and Desmond grinned at her, realizing it was pretty silly to have to pour water out of your back like someone did a boot. He flopped down next to her and she couldn’t help her eyes from wandering the dark skin of his chest or following the intricate lines of the silver marks on his arm that turned his entire arm into the bark of a tree.

“Desmond,” she asked as they dried in the sun. He ‘mhm’d’ at her, his eyes closed. “Last night, you said this forest was becoming your forest. What did you mean?”

He opened his eyes and looked up at the blue sky. “I’m almost an adult,” he said. “And I’m a forest spirit— _half_ a forest spirit. But enough of one. Every forest has one. Before me my mother was the forest spirit. They keep the forest safe from monsters, and humans, who want to hurt the forest or the animals within or the good forest creatures who live here.

“Before I was born there used to be lots of forest spirits who protected this forest. They lived in their trees and they and the old folk, fairies and elves and humans, lived together. But that was a long time ago. Humans have driven out the elves and cut so much of the woods including the trees of forest spirits. Monsters like the stick men have eaten all the fairies. Humans have brought other monsters to all the forests.”

“Like your father?”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “They released him when he’d served his purpose to them. When he came here my mother was the last forest spirit left, her tree hidden _deep_ in the oldest part of the woods. The others had all been cut down by humans maliciously or ignorantly. He told me he’d been lost, confused, and hungry, and had gone around just…”

“Just what?” Lucy asked, looking at him intently.

He sighed. “Killing everything,” he admitted and she felt fear trickle down her spin. “Then he ran into my mother and she soothed him. She eased his anger and they worked on an agreement. He would protect her from humans and she would continue to allow him to hunt in her forest, so long as he only hunted monsters, unless he had to eat.”

“And they fell in love?”

He smiled a little, “Yeah. At some point humans started cutting into my mother’s forest. So he went to deal with them, as he’d promised her. He killed all of them. That just brought _more_ humans. They eventually tracked him back to my mother’s tree where we all lived.

“I don’t… really remember her,” he admitted. “I was so small. My father told me humans came with saws and axes, cutting away at the forest around them. She made him take me and leave. She wasn’t helpless after all, our magic is _strong_.” He stopped and swallowed a bit thickly. “When he returned to her tree it was a stump and she was wrapped around the last of the trunk.

“When our home tree is destroyed we do not die immediately. The tree is not dead _yet_. It takes time. Hours. I’ve been told it is a painful death. We were there in her last moments and she made my father promise to take care of me and not go out seeking to kill those humans.

“We moved to the tree where fairies used to live. Its a _long_ way from my mother’s home tree. Closer to humans, but safer I guess,” he shrugged a little. “Without a forest spirit to protect the forest and ward off the monsters they are free to roam the wood. Stick men, red caps, imps, salamanders. Without a spirit to protect it they come and corrupt a forest. Since my mother died my father has been keeping as much of her forest safe as he can. He hunts the dark creatures that come. Once I’m old enough I’ll be able to protect the forest myself.”

“So it really is your forest,” she said softly.

He looked at her. “Yes,” he said. “Not yet though. Once I’m of age I’ll pick a tree and will live there for the rest of my days. Because I’m only part forest spirit my father thinks I won’t be so bound to my tree. Forest spirits are born _with_ their tree. I was not. My mother said I’d chose one though. But because I’m part ekimmu I might not be so tired to it. I might-

“Might?”

“I might not die if humans cut it down,” he whispered.

Lucy covered her mouth. “Desmond I— thank you for sharing this with me.”

“You asked,” he said.

“When will you be of age?”

“Soon,” he said. “My father says probably in the spring. I was born in the spring, like all new trees.”

“Then why do you sound so upset about this? Shouldn’t you be happy you will continue what your parents did and do? Protecting all the things in the forest?”

“Once I pick my tree I’ll be tied to it. I won’t be able to travel far from it. It needs to be _far_ from humans, where they can’t find me. Before I was sort of excited. But now—

“Now?”

“If it is next year I won’t be able to play with you anymore come the spring,” he said and a fist squeezed her heart. “But its the right thing. So I’ll do it. If I don’t then it falls to my father, and he’s a dark thing. He doesn’t scare away the monsters. They see him and think he’s like them. But he isn’t,” Desmond sat up abruptly. “Well maybe before. But not anymore. He’s protecting the forest.”

Lucy sat up next to him, “That’s good,” she said gently. “And you’ll do good too. I know you will.”

“You think so?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Hmm,” he frowned, pensive. A shadow flashed over them and they both looked up. It was the great eagle-bat.

“Time to go home?” she asked.

“So my father wants,” Desmond said. “But I’d rather stay out here,” he looked at her. “I’d rather stay with you.”

She smiled a little. “That’s sweet Desmond but I need to go home too,” she reminded him.

“Right,” he sighed and got to his feet. He helped her up and they both dressed. She followed him away from the stream, back towards home.

It was dusk when they finally arrived at the river that separated the forest from the town. “You’ll come play again?” Desmond asked. “Sorry it go so serious after Smell of Berries and Sunlight on Fur left,” he apologized.

“Its okay,” she said. “I like that you trusted me enough to tell me about your mother, and you.”

“But you will?” he asked, nearly anxious.

“I will,” she promised.

He smiled. “Good. I’m glad.” This time she was ready for it when Desmond kissed her goodbye. She supposed she should have told him _not_ to do that anymore since it was a romantic thing but she hadn’t. Maybe she hadn’t thought of it. Maybe she’d wanted him to do it again. This time she sort of kissed him back. When they parted she was red faced and Desmond was sort of wide-eyed.

“I’ll come back in a few days,” she promised while he was trying to figure that out and waded across the shallow part of the river. She glanced back and Desmond was still standing there, watching her leave from under the shadow of his hood. Then she walked home quickly, smiling a little to herself.

—

In the forest the snow was thick, and the world was quiet. Lucy sat with Desmond watching a pair of squirrels chase each other across the snowy branches. He had his cloak wrapped around the both of them and with her back to his chest she was plenty warm. Desmond was napping on her shoulder. He said that at his age he was more in rhythm with the forest and when it slept so did he. She knew by now that her coming to the forest this late in the year meant he had to stay awake when he should be sleeping. She didn’t care though. She just wanted to be with him.

A part of her reminded her she should feel bad for doing this. For coming out here with Desmond so much when Daniel kept asking the same and she’d just tell him no. Probably because it was less complicated with Desmond. With Daniel there was her brother and he mother and _his_ parents and she was getting old enough that other people in town were asking her why she hadn’t settled down and having babies of her own. Not that she didn’t want to but with Daniel? She thought she’d known. Now she wasn’t so sure.

Desmond shifted a little behind her, trying to get a bit more comfortable with some failure. He moved some more before breathing deep and waking up. She turned her head a bit to see him blink sleepily and smiled when he made a little sleepy noise. “Sorry,” he mumbled and sat up, rubbing his eye.

“Its okay,” she said, turning a bit in his lap. “I expect it by now.”

“Hmm,” he grinned a little lopsidedly at her. Then he looked up, “Its going to snow soon.”

She also looked up. The sky was both grey and blue. “You sure?”

“I can feel it,” he assured her. “I should take you home.”

“Alright,” she sighed and got up. Desmond got up as well and shook the snow off his cloak. “You enjoy your nap?” she asked and took Desmond’s hand, threading her fingers through his.

“Yes. You make a nice pillow,” he teased her and she laughed when he leaned down to nuzzle her neck and kiss her cheek. He squeezed her hand when she tried to move away as he sort of tickled her.

“Well that’s good,” she said and squeezed his hand back.

They walked to the river and at the edge Lucy turned back around to face Desmond who took both of her mittened hands. “If it snows I’ll be back on the next clear day,” she promised.

“Okay,” Desmond said.

“You going to let go, Desmond?” she asked, he was still holding her hands.

His brows creased a bit. “Do I have to?”

“You’ll see me soon,” she promised.

“I wish you didn’t go,” he said and for one of the first times she saw his teeth. She knew, as a fact, that Desmond had large, sharp teeth. He was an ekimmu and they ate things that required big teeth like they had. She saw it in the way his upper lip curled back for a moment and she saw them. She swallowed but didn’t let herself be afraid. Desmond would _never_ hurt her, or let anyone else hurt her, not even himself.

“Desmond,” she said, “I’m a human. I don’t belong in the forest.”

He looked down at their feet, “I know,” he said, bobbing his head a little. “I know,” he said again, to remind himself. Then he pulled her to him, his arms going around her. “That doesn’t stop me from missing you when you’re gone,” he said softly and her heart hammered in her chest. She smiled when he kissed her. She kissed him back and she didn’t even feel his sharp teeth.

“I’ll be back as soon as I’m able,” she promised him.

“My father is going to the other side of the forest for a while,” he said softly. “Humans on the roads say its a strix. A huge owl, it eats people.”

She grimaced. “I take it they aren’t welcome in your forest?”

“No,” Desmond said. “He’s gone to track it down and take care of it since I—

“You will soon,” she assured him and put her hand on his chest.

He nodded. “He rarely ever leaves this part of the woods. I figure…“

“Yes?”

“Well I’ve seen your home. You’ve never seen mine.”

Old memories of the first time she’d discovered the ekimmu flooded her mind. The tree with the nest house at the top and the paper lanterns and the fairy circle. The monster of a man who’d told her to run. “I don’t think your father would like if I came,” she said.

“Probably,” Desmond said with a smirk.

“I’d love to,” she said.

“Good. Then don’t spend too long there,” Desmond’s eyes lifted to look behind her to the town.

“If its nice tomorrow I’ll come,” she promised.

“Good,” he said happily.

“Now let me go? Before we get stuck out in the snow,” she teased.

“Alright.” He let her go, but not before kissing her again. She stepped away, still kissing him, and then pulled away. She turned and walked away. She stepped carefully across the frozen river and headed for home.

Here the roads were shoveled, the snow all removed. It made walking easier but left Lucy feeling hollow after her time in the forest. Around her people moved about, even in winter, and in the central square the market was still going. People bartering and selling this and that so they would make it through the winter. Lucy just continued on to her house.

At the end of the street Daniel was waiting against a building. When he saw her he peeled off from the wood wall and walked towards her. What was she supposed to say to him? She dreaded seeing Daniel now. Not because she didn’t love him anymore, but because she did.

“Where were you?” he asked her. “You said you were going to meet me at the store before I was done for the day.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Something came up.”

“What?” he asked.

“Does it matter?” she asked, stepping around him to continue to the warmth of her home just down the street.

“It does when that’s your excuse every time you leave me waiting around for you.” He grabbed her arm when they came to the front of their property. Daniel knew better than to step off the road onto the property. Nick had been _very_ clear to never come near his home again. It also included to stay away from his sister but she knew Daniel and herself well enough to know that was never going to happen. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” she said.

“You’re gone all day, all the time. Where do you even go?”

“I’m with my friends,” she said.

“I asked all your friends. They haven’t seen you all day,” Daniel said. “What are you doing… Are you seeing someone else?”

“What? No,” she rolled her eyes. “As if any of the other boys in town have even an ounce of interest to me. You just don’t know all my friends,” she said.

He huffed. “You promise. You aren’t going off to see another man?”

“I promise,” she lied. God she’d just lied right to his face. She just didn’t want him to worry. A cruel part of her thought that in a few months this wouldn’t even be an issue. Desmond would leave to go find his tree and wouldn’t be around anymore. She could focus on Daniel again. He’d been so good lately. Only went to the town over once a week to get to drunk to see, went to work every day without complaint. He was really turning himself around. Mr. Cross still approved of nothing but that bitter old man could go die for all she cared.

“Okay,” he said gently and took her hand. “I just… worry, alright?”

“I know,” she said. “But I promise. There’s no one.”

“Good. So, tomorrow?”

“Sorry. I’m busy helping my mama around the house,” she said. “We’re making some new clothes for the baby.”

“Ah. Okay.” He looked around quickly and squinted at the windows of the house before kissing her. She kissed him back but he didn’t linger like Desmond did. She was really awful, comparing them like this.

“I’ll see you,” she said and he let her go. She turned and went into her house. What was she even going to do?

—

The clearing around the tree was devoid of snow. Not in the way the roads were back in the town, rather that snow simply didn’t _fall_ within the mushroom circle. The leaves were all gone but there was still grass on the ground. Coarse and the color of sick wheat. Lanterns still hung off the branches of the great oak tree and without all the leaves she saw that the nest house was much smaller than she’d originally thought. Certainly too small for two large men like Desmond and his father.

“Here we are,” Desmond said.

“And your father isn’t here?” she asked.

“Nope,” he assured her. “He’s far away. C’mon,” he coaxed and led her to the tree and around the side. There was the start of the stairs. They climbed up to the top and Lucy looked out over the forest. In the distance to the north she could see the smoke from her town’s chimneys and in the east she could barely make out the smoke of the other town’s chimneys against the blue sky.

“Lucy,” Desmond said, drawing her attention away from the smoke. “Its cold out,” and he pulled her inside.

She wasn’t sure _what_ she was expecting, but it wasn’t what she found within. The house was _bigger_ on the inside. She stepped out and it was the same woven mass of sticks and grasses. She blinked at it, confused, and then stepped back inside. Inside everything was made of the same winter wood. It was rough and homey with a high ceiling and more space than should have fit. There was a sitting room with chairs and while there wasn’t a fireplace there was _something_ in a pit that created both light and heat. There were two rooms leading off from the main space on opposite sides of the main room. A thick rug woven in bright colors and patterns decorated the floor.

“How?” she asked.

He smiled, “Magic,” he said. “Well, fairy magic, not spirit or ekimmu magic.”

“Its amazing,” she said in breathless awe, looking all around. She went to see what the fire pit thing was and found it was in fact several fat black rocks that gave off the heat and glowed from within. “What are these?”

“Atmos quartz,” he said. “They keep the house a consistent temperature all year round. Heating in the winter, cooling in the summer.”

“How- no, I know. Magic,” she said.

He chuckled, “I’m afraid so. The fairies who used to live here had them.” He led her around the rest of the house but avoided one of the doors. His father’s room no doubt. “This is where I spend most of my time I’m not with you,” he said and opened the door to his room.

It was like something out of a fairy tale. There was a large bed with a window that overlooked the forest. A desk made from a piece of living wood and a chair carved of silver wood. Desmond had all sorts of things littering his room. Plants and odd pieces of wood and pretty rocks and the bones of animals and huge leaves used as papers. They were stacked and stored and jarred and bottled and neatly organized on shelves and the desk. A wall was taken up by a bookshelf filled with books bound in leather that looked like they came from all sorts of animals, some of them still had their fur and she longed to look through them. Hanging from the ceiling Desmond had wooden birds of every variety painted in life-like colors hanging from invisible spider silk stringers. Hanging outside the window was a wind chime made of wooden and glass beads that jingled in the wind that despite blowing did not enter the room.

She turned to him. “This is your room,” she said. He nodded. “I-

He smiled, “Go on,” he encouraged. “You can see.” He had to know she wanted to see all the things he had. He had to know that her room was mostly utilitarian. There wasn’t much in there. Or it was things that had purpose outside of looking nice. There wasn’t the greatest time or money to buy luxury items or things that wouldn’t be of use in some way. But Desmond had things to _have_ things. As it was there were only two books in the house. The Bible, and the almanac that Nick had bought. Other than that there were no books.

She went to the bookshelf first and picked one out and opened it. Her heart dropped seeing it was written in a language she didn’t know. Desmond came up behind her.She turned around. “What is this?” she asked him.

“That one?” he took the book and looked at the cover. “Looks like a history book, elven written.”

“Elves wrote this?” she asked him wide eyed. He nodded, smiling a bit. “I can't read it,” she said.

“I can,” Desmond said. “Would you like me to read it to you?”

“Yes!” she said and hugged him. He hugged her back. “I would love that,” she said when they separated a bit.

He took her hand and beckoned her to sit on the bed. It wasn't a traditional bed. It looked more like a boat, filled with pillows and covered in a soft looking blanket. She sat on the edge and took off her winter boots and set them aside before drawing her legs over the side. Desmond sat on the side and opened the book on his lap. “So I'll start at the beginning?” he asked.

“Please,” she said.

“Okay, give me a sec,” and he read over the first page. “So dates aren't going to mean anything to you, or names, don't worry about them too much.”

“I wasn't planning to,” Lucy said. There hasn't been elves I the world in hundreds of years, no one knew where they'd gone, just that they were indeed gone.

“Okay. Well, chapter one, The Folk of Oldenahrine, heading one, The Primal.” Lucy smiled as Desmond read to her. At each page he'd stop, read the entire page to himself, and then read it aloud in English. Most of it made little sense as Lucy had no context to any of these places or people. It was fascinating regardless.

“Still following?” Desmond asked a while later.

“For the most part,” she said.

He chuckled, “Yeah. The elves are wind bags,” he said.

“Keep going,” she encouraged

“Alright,” he said and cleared his throat. She smiled as he continued and after he’d read her a chapter or two, each chapter being very long, she moved up next to him. He looked at her, “Yes?”

“How can you read elvish?” she asked.

“My father taught me,” he said.

“Well how can _he_ read it then?”

“My father is _very_ old,” he said seriously. “Far older than my mother and she was a few centuries old.”

“So he taught you to read elvish?”

“And the rest of the languages of the books in here,” he nodded to the bookshelf. “English, elvish, fey, si-nari, waccka’ba-

“That’s not a real language,” she said.

“Is so. The gnomes speak waccka’ba.”

“Gnomes,” she smiled widely. “All the stories, they’re true aren’t they?”

“Of the forest folk? Them and then some probably,” Desmond shrugged. “There aren’t many left though. Humans have destroyed their land, or killed them. The elves just _left_ instead of dealing with them,” he scoffed. “Pansies.”

“Amazing,” she said and looked at Desmond with new eyes. He was a miracle and amazing and she hadn’t even realized till now just how amazing. “What other books do you have? What do gnomes write about?”

“Tunnels, the earth, plants. They have a very in depth volume, with lots of pictures, of all sorts of fauna.”

“Show me,” she said eagerly. He put the history book on the floor and went to the shelf and picked out a book with a red cover. He brought it back and she touched it, it didn’t feel like leather. It took her a moment to realize it wasn’t leather either. It was a _leaf_ , a huge, weathered leaf.

Desmond opened the book. The first page was an introduction and Desmond read it to her. Then the next pages were diagrams and realistic drawings of plants and trees, each meticulously labeled and rendered in near life-size dimensions. Each page was made of impossibly thinly slice tree bark, thin enough to bend and allow light through without issue and oiled with care to prevent cracking or breaking.

Once they’d looked at all the pictures Desmond went and got another. This was a book of maps drawn by trolls. _Trolls_. The maps were of underground passages that spanned the mountain range to the west, further than you could see from here. The next book was a book written by fairies and unlike the book written by the elves this one was more theory than anything and spoke of magic. Desmond read it to her and she was more than a little enthralled.

“Still with me?” he asked after a bit.

“Always,” she said, unsure exactly what she meant, and unable to help herself kissed him. He returned the kiss and she deepened it. Desmond let the book rest listlessly on his thighs, more interested in her than the book. When she made to pull away he just followed her and kissed her again, littering kisses across her lips and mouth.

Desmond turned around some, the book falling to the floor with a thud. He didn’t seem to care, more interested in feeling her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her fingers in his hair. It was soft as down and when he gently pushed her back she didn’t resist him. Rather she wanted it.

Daniel had tried to get under her skirts a few times. She always denied him on the principle that they shouldn’t before they got married. If they ever got married. Not to mention she did sometimes worry if she let him so close he’d lose interest in her, knowing he could have her without having to give something up himself. Lucy had to give up a lot to let Daniel under her skirt before she agreed to marry him, and Daniel lost nothing. It was even more for her if people found out. Her brother would be furious, her mother ashamed of her, and people would _talk_.

None of that even entered her mind with Desmond. Not because those things weren’t the same but with Desmond it was different. For starters his father would probably be as furious as her brother for doing this. And with Desmond it didn’t feel like she was giving away part of herself. When his hands touched her she didn’t feel like he was taking something away from her, didn’t feel like she was becoming used and soiled goods like people said women became when they gave up their maidenhood. There was none of that in Desmond’s touch.

They didn’t know what they were doing but it was okay. They fumbled around and when they got tangled up in each other Desmond just smiled and pulled them back together. She blushed when they wrestled her out of her layers of coats and skirts and shirts and he looked down upon her naked body. Her married friends told her when they and their husbands did these things it was in the dark of night, which they were thankful for, for they felt awkward in their unclothed skin being seen even by their husbands. Shame even. Lucy felt none for when Desmond looked at her it was like she was perfect and when his mouth trailed down her body, learning all the new places she was, she felt worshiped.

There was no pain when they finally coupled. No pain, no blood, and she was so surprised by both of those she almost complained. Wasn’t it supposed to hurt the first time? Her mother said she should be proud of her first blood with a man, it meant she was a woman. There was none and after the first thought it didn’t matter, Desmond’s mouth was _far_ too distracting.

It was over quickly after that, as she expected. Seemed Desmond was like any other young man and didn’t last. When he nuzzled against her neck she didn’t really mind. Unlike she’d been told men did Desmond didn’t fall asleep after sex. Instead he just rested against her, but very much awake, his hand stroking her stomach. She could sense him laying there but being restless about it.

“Yes?” she asked.

Desmond looked up at her under his lashes. “Only if you want,” he hesitated a moment, “but would you be adverse to doing it again?”

She smiled, “Please,” she said and he sat up excitedly. She laughed at him and he silenced her with a kiss that made them both sigh into each other’s mouths. He tangled his hand in hers and they made love again, this time it lasted longer and felt _better_.

Only the growing dark pulled them away from each other. “Its sunset,” she said, looking out the window.

“Mmm,” Desmond hummed lazily, pressed up against her side, half asleep and content. They hadn’t made love all afternoon but had done so quite a few times.

“I need to go home Desmond. My mother will worry.”

“You should just stay here, with me,” he said and opened one eye to look at her. “Always.”

“I wish,” she said softly. “But I cannot. I’m a human, I don’t belong in the forest,” she said and stroked his soft hair.

“Mmm,” Desmond complained even as he sat up. His hair stuck out at many angles from Lucy playing and pulling at it. “Fine, I guess,” he grumbled.

She sat up and kissed him lightly. “Is there somewhere I could clean up a bit?” she asked. Everything felt… sticky. Her mother had told her plenty of her first time with a man, and to make sure she cleansed herself or she could get a pain between her legs. She also advised (surprisingly strongly) to brew a cup of tansy tea, light on the tansy, to keep away unwanted children until she was ready for them. Also to not disclose that she drank it at all or her husband could become angry, or the town could turn on her for doing such. Tansy tea was a secret kept by women and men weren’t allowed to be privy to it.

“Through there,” Desmond nodded to another door she hadn’t noticed. Not surprising as it was half covered by a spiderweb made of dew and golden thread. She got out of Desmond’s bed and went through the doorway into a closet. In the closet was a single window and a table made of winter wood. On the table was a barrel with a tap and a hand washing basin. Attached to the barrel was a bar on which several towels as soft as dandelion tuffs. She wet the towel and used it to clean most of her body of the sweat and smell of sex the best she could. She fixed her hair again and went back outside once she was done.

Desmond was sitting on the edge of his bed, still naked. He looked troubled. Then he saw her and his face smoothed and he looked happy again. Lucy gathered up her clothes that they’d pushed and thrown off the edge of the bed and dressed herself. Desmond did the same, though did so lethargically. Finally Lucy was all dressed once more in her coats and skirts and shirts. It was darkening outside. “Uh-oh,” she said.

“C’mon,” he beckoned and she followed him out of the house to the landing in the tree.

“I stayed far too late,” she said.

“I think you could stay longer,” he said.

“You would,” she teased and gently patted his cheek. “But I have to get home. God my mother must be worried sick I’m out so late.”

“You want to get home quickly?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Very well.” She gave a little cry of surprise when Desmond scooped her up into his arms. Lucy let out a short scream when he jumped right off the landing. He hit the ground hard, flat footed, legs bending deeply to absorb the impact. She stared at him, breathless and flustered.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Me getting you home quickly,” he said and didn’t set her down. Rather he started to jog away from the tree, into the forest.

The tree disappeared as they left the ring of mushrooms and Desmond picked up his stride. He seemed to skim over the top of the snow, hardly leaving a footprint. Then they were at the river and he didn’t stop. In a single bound he flew over the river and once more braced for the impact on the other side. This time Lucy was ready for it and had her arms around his neck. Desmond walked quickly across the top of the snow to Lucy’s home, staying to the edge, out of the light.

Desmond finally set her down around the back of her house. It was dark out now and the sky was clear, the moon a sliver of a fingernail in the sky. “Home,” he said in a whisper.

“Thank you,” she said.

He reached up, touched her hair, her face. “You’ll come back soon?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she promised.

“Good. I’ll be waiting.” When he kissed her goodbye it was with a weight she didn’t quite understand but it was heavenly so she didn’t think on it too deeply. She felt him have to rip himself from her and leave. She could see in his eyes he didn’t want to leave her there, that it pained him to always have to say goodbye. But he did so, because he loved her, and knew she belonged in town, with other humans. That was the weight. That no matter what, no matter how close they were, they lived in different worlds. Lucy waited till he was gone before she went around to the front of the house and went inside.

—

Rain clattered against Lucy’s window. With the spring came the thaw and frequent rain showers that came in during the afternoon but left before the evening. Lucy was watching the rain wistfully. She didn’t want to stay cooped up in the house. She wanted to go out and see Desmond, find the young bears Sun on Fur and Smell of Berries, and run in the fields of flowers. Instead she was stuck inside. She tried to pretend she could see Desmond at his distance but that was absurd. He never came this close to town except for those two times.

Someone knocked on her door. “Yes?” she called.

“Honey, Daniel is here,” her mother called through the door. Brow furrowed Lucy got up and went to open the door. Daniel was indeed standing with her mother, his hair and clothes damp from coming through the rain.

“Dan,” she said, not having to fake her surprise. They’d grown distant since the winter. Partially because the heavy snows that prevented most from leaving their homes, and partially because every moment she could she’d lie about where she would be and go out to see Desmond. Sometimes they’d just sit together in the snow, wrapped in Desmond’s cloak or walk amid the sleeping trees, and other times they’d find a place free of snow and make love, fumbling and giggling trying to figure out how to keep warm and be close at the same time.

“Hello,” he said, sounding and looking nervous.

“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,” Bethany said and smiled as she left.

Daniel entered her room and closed the door half way. He was wearing nicer clothes than usual and he’d made an attempt to make his hair behave. “Hello,” Lucy said.

Daniel took a deep breath and crossed the distance between them in a few steps. When he did he kissed her and she was surprised enough to not kiss him back instantly but she did kiss him back. It felt stiff and wooden to her though, either he was very nervous or Lucy had grown used to the warm gentleness Desmond exhibited with her. When he stopped he took both her hands in his but said nothing. “Daniel?” she asked as his eyes darted all over her face and body, not stopping long enough to really linger anywhere.

“I was just thinking how beautiful you look,” he said and she looked away bashfully. “I— I spoke to your brother.”

“Uh-oh,” she said.

“With your mother there,” he added. “Several times. I- I wore him down,” and a knot tied itself neatly in Lucy’s chest. She knew what was coming and it brought her no joy. Instead it brought her despair. “I convinced him to give me his blessing. I just have been too nervous to do anything about it.” Lucy wished he’d stop. “Lucy, will you marry me?”

She knew the right answer. Yes. She would. Daniel had been working so hard to be better for _her_. He rarely ever went and got drunk anymore and whenever she went to the store Mr. Auditore always commented that Lucy was so lucky to have such a nice young man as her suitor. He’d done everything she’d asked of him to make her say yes.

And yet.

And yet all she could think about was Desmond. She hadn’t saved herself for Daniel, her potential husband, like she should have. She’d given her maidenhood to another man. Barely a man. A man shaped forest creature. For the first time she felt ashamed of what she and Desmond did, of their feelings. Daniel had finally become worthy of her, but she had not done the same for him. She used to love Daniel. She knew she did. Those feelings had partially evaporated. She loved Desmond and her feelings for Daniel were a shadow of what they had been. It made her feel wretched.

Still didn’t Daniel deserve her to say yes after everything he’d done? After how he’d changed for her? Part of her said yes, he did. The other part asked what about her? Didn’t she deserve what she wanted as well? She didn’t know how it’d ever work, but she deserved to be happy too. That happiness wasn’t with Daniel.

“Daniel,” she said and just in that tone she watched his face shift and change, dropping. “I don’t want to marry you,” she pulled her hands from his.

“What? Why not?” he asked. “I’ve changed Lucy, I swear. You’ve seen me.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“Then _why not_?” he demanded.

“Because I don’t want to. Because I’m not ready,” she said, pulling her arms up and around her.

Daniel looked at her helplessly. “There’s someone else,” he said.

“What? No,” she said.

“There _is_ ,” he said. “You’re seeing another. Who is he, tell me.”

“There is _no one_ ,” Lucy told him sternly.

“Then why won’t you say yes to me? I’ve done everything you asked of me. What else do you want from me?” he demanded, heart broken. Her heart broke a bit at seeing him like that.

She couldn’t tell him the truth. Of course not. But the truth was was that soon this would all be over anyway. Desmond was restless in the forest now. He knew he needed to go and find the tree that would be his home for the rest of his life. It wasn’t anywhere close. He would leave her, and soon. She knew it tormented him but he also couldn’t ignore his nature and she didn’t want him to. If Daniel had just waited a _few_ more days she would have said yes to him because Desmond would be gone and wouldn’t come back.

“Time, please,” she practically begged. “Its so sudden. I just need time to think about it.”

Daniel looked at her, helpless. “And there is no one else?”

“No,” she lied and promised.

He looked down at his shoes. His good shoes he only usually wore to church. He sighed and looked up at her. “Okay,” he said. “A few days?”

“Yes,” she swallowed.

“Alright. I’ll wait a little while more.” He kissed her lightly on the lips then left her there. Once he was gone she sat down again and stared out the window at the rain.

Bethany came into her room after knocking lightly. “Honey,” she said and stood beside her. “Why did you send him away?”

Lucy looked up at her mother. “Can you keep a secret?” she asked.

“Of course,” she said gently.

“I don’t know if I love him anymore,” she confessed.

Bethany’s eyes widened. “No? After all this time you go on and on about that boy and now, you don’t love him?”

“I did,” Lucy said. “I did so much but now… I don’t know.”

Bethany looked down at her. “There is another. Another man you love, even if you’re loyal.”

Lucy was stricken. Was she so easy to read? “N-no-

“You don’t need to lie to your mother, sweetie,” Bethany said. “I know how fickle a young woman’s heart can be. Men think we are monolithic and never change our minds about them. We know otherwise. Is he a boy in town?” Lucy shook her head. “Then who?”

“You don’t know him, mommy,” she said. “He’s just… wonderful and I love him. But he’s leaving soon, to go far away, and is never coming back. Once he’s gone…” she paused and closed her eyes to collect herself so her voice didn’t crack. “Once he’s gone I’m sure me and Daniel will be back to the way we were,” she said once she opened her eyes again.

“You are in quite a state,” Bethany said. “I’m sure it will work out, you’re a smart young girl.” Bethany stroked Lucy’s hair before leaving. Lucy put her head on the sill miserably and wished she didn’t have to deal with these two men.

—

It was a warm day for spring. Lucy had on her less layered dress so she could feel the cool air around her legs, unobstructed by thick petticoats to keep her warm in the winter. She’d told her mama she was going to check on the wild blueberries to see how they were coming along and if any were ready for picking. So she had her bucket and was walking out of town.

As she passed Daniel’s house he came out and met her at the road. “Where are you going?” he asked her.

“To check on the wild blueberry patches,” she said, motioning with her bucket.

“Can I join you?”

She smiled a little, “You hate berry picking,” she reminded him. “And I won’t be too long.” She honestly didn’t intend to see Desmond today, she’d promised to help her mama around the house and clean it out from the winter. “Mama’s expecting me for lunch.”

Daniel looked her over, a sort of hard, sour, look on his face. “Alright,” he said. “Have you given more thought to what I asked?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’ll have your answer soon,” she promised, kissed him on the cheek and continued on her way. She left town and went to the ‘safe’ part of the forest, following the well worn path that led to the meadow where the blueberries were. They were coming along nicely, the berries were clusters of small green pods waiting to grow into fat blueberries.

She turned when she heard something behind her. Her entire face brightened. “Desmond,” she said. Usually he wore his hood down when he saw her, or at least let her see his eyes. Today he wore the cowl up and hid his entire face. “Desmond, what’s the matter?”

He walked over to her and without saying anything kissed her deeply, making her start. “I’m leaving,” he whispered.

“What? Now?” she asked, terrified.

“Tomorrow. I- I can’t stay any longer.”

“But you don’t want to go,” she said and reached up to touch his face.

“No,” he said. “I just want to stay here,” he took her hand gently in his, squeezing the fingers. “With you.”

“I want you to too,” she said. “But I understand why you have to go. I’ll be here though,” she put her hand on his chest, just over his heart, “Always. As you will be in mine.”

“Stay with me the day?”

“I can’t,” she said bitterly. “I promised my mama I’d help her. I can stay some time, but not for long.”

“Mmm,” Desmond said and they went to sit in the new grass. Eventually they laid down and watched the sky. Desmond took her hand and they pointed out shapes in the clouds. “Do you still have that knife I gave you?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“I gave it to you because I loved you,” he said, staring right at the sky, not at her, as though shy by his confession. “I loved you even when we were younger. I just didn’t know how humans displayed those sorts of feelings. So I gave you the knife, like my mother gave my father his bow. So you’d always have something of mine close,” he looked at her.

“Yours? I thought it was mine?”

“I lied,” he said and smiled painfully at her.

“The flute?”

“Also mine. I have many things that make up my essence because I’m a mix. I am a warrior, like my father, so I have a weapon, but a protector, like my mother, thus the flute that can soothe any beast. I gave you the weapon because I thought it would be more useful to you than my silly flute.”

She pulled the white knife from the concealed pocket of her skirt. “Do you want it back?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I want you to keep it, so you remember me.”

“I won’t be able to forget,” she said and leaned over to kiss him.

“Don’t,” he said. “Or when you do, hold it close and remember me,” he kissed her more, rolling over to prop himself up above her on his elbow.

“I will,” she promised him, tugging on his cloak.

“I wish I could just bring you with me,” he said, dipping his head down and nuzzling her neck. “I wish you could be with me forever.”

“That’s a nice wish,” she said as his mouth parted around her neck to kiss. For a moment she felt the prick of his teeth on her skin and shuddered. He did that when he wanted her to get a thrill. Whenever she was reminded of his teeth it made her oddly excited.

A shadow moved over them. She thought it was the eagle-bat, but it didn’t move. Then something moved beyond what she could see and Desmond was thrown off her. She looked up and saw Daniel standing there with a flint-lock. Where had he even gotten one of those?! His eyes were full of hurt and rage as he looked at Desmond, and then at her.

“You _lied_ to me,” he hissed. She had nothing for that. She had, and he’d caught her. “Who is this?” he demanded.

Desmond groaned a little as he got to his knees. Daniel trained the gun at his head. “Oh, the human,” he said.

“Shut up,” Daniel snapped. “No one’s talking to you.”

“Daniel, put the gun down,” Lucy said slowly, sitting up.

“How could you?” he demanded. “I loved you. We were going to get married.” She looked away shamefully. “Is this where you go all the time?” Her lack of an answer was a damnation in itself. “To see this weirdo?”

“Hey,” Desmond interjected.

“Be quiet!” Daniel snapped and waved his gun pointedly at Desmond.

Lucy got to her feet and attempted to push the gun down. “Put it down Daniel. God where did you even get a gun? Stop waving it in people’s faces that’s dangerous.”

He shook her off. “Is this who you’ve been seeing? This freak? You really think so little of me.”

“Daniel, no. I don’t think little of you-

“Yet you lie to me. You go behind my back. You- you see this _guy_ out here. You don’t let me that close… Have you slept with him?” he growled.

Lucy needed to diffuse this. “No,” she said.

“Yes you have. I can tell. God,” he looked at her in disgust and it was the first time she’d ever felt shame for giving herself over to Desmond.

Desmond was up in an instant and grabbed Daniel’s wrist so hard it went limp. “You’re the guy she always talks about,” Desmond said in a quiet, dangerous, tone. “She told me she was going to marry you. Disgusting that you’d look at her like that.”

“You slept with my woman,” Daniel snapped.

“If you think a man touching her makes her any less wonderful than she is then you should think about your life choices _human_ ,” and his lips curled back from his teeth. Daniel jerked back but Desmond had his wrist still. “If anyone should be disgusted it is her for entertaining the thought of letting a low-life like you touch her. She is not _yours_. She is her own.”

“What would you know? You aren’t even… God, Lucy how could you?” he asked her.

“I love him,” she said. “I love you too.”

“No you don’t. If you did you’d give me what you give him.”

“Well maybe I didn’t feel you deserved it,” she snapped. “Pressuring me into marrying you, making me feel awful whenever I said no.” Desmond released Daniel’s wrist and he stumbled back a few steps. “I did love you. So much,” she bit out. “I was going to return to you but now. Seeing you like this. My brother was right. You’re a bad man, Daniel. I will _never_ marry you.”

Daniel blinked in stupid surprise. Then he looked at Desmond, then back at her. “Never?” he asked.

“Never,” she said.

Daniel looked down at his gun. “Well… If I can’t have you, than neither can he.” He raised the flint-lock and fired blindly. It was aimed right at Desmond.

Lucy moved before she knew she was in motion. Daniel’s aim was terrible but she still ended up taking the ball bullet right to the chest. She thumped back against Desmond and they all looked down at Lucy’s chest. “Oh,” she breathed and then collapsed as blood quickly began to stain her shirt and coat.

Daniel looked at his flint-lock in disbelief. Desmond didn’t care about Daniel, or the gun. He was right there with Lucy, eyes bright with terror on her behalf. “Lucy, why did you do that?” he asked.

She smiled even through the fire in her chest. “Because I love you,” she said.

“Lucy- I,” Daniel stepped closer.

“Stay away!” Desmond roared and turned on Daniel. She couldn’t see Desmond’s face but she knew he had his teeth bared. “Come closer and I’ll rip your throat out you monster!” Then he turned back to her and his face was etched in worry. He was helpless to help her and they both knew it. As it was her vision was starting to spot. She glanced away from him and saw Daniel run away, leaving his flint-lock on the ground.

“Don’t leave me,” Desmond whispered and held her face gently in his hands. “Please,” he begged.

“I won’t,” she lied.

Desmond’s head shot up and she was able to follow it. It was his father’s eagle-bat. “Not yet,” he whispered. Then he turned around and she couldn’t see what he could see. At least not at first. Then Desmond’s father came into view, standing over the both of them. His cowl was up but she could see part of his face. As the first time she’d seen him his arms were bare and showed off the silver markings on his arms.

“Dad,” Desmond hunched over her, as though to protect her from his gaze.

“Save it. She’s dying,” he said. He lowered his hood. He didn’t look like anyone she’d ever seen, except Desmond, with a large nose and lidded eyes with long lashes. “I can hear her heart slowing. Do you?” he asked Desmond. Desmond nodded in a jerky way.

He crouched next to her. “So you’re the one my son has been constantly disobeying me over,” he said without a hint of anger. “Do you want to die?” She shook her head weakly. “Do you love my son?” Lucy looked at Desmond who wouldn’t look at either of them. Slowly, she nodded. “Enough for forever?” he asked her.

“Forever,” she said in a whisper, all she felt she could manage.

He looked at his son and then his lips pulled away from his teeth. Desmond bared his in a protective display, as though he could keep his father from her. His father reached over and opened his mouth with one hand, testing the teeth on his thumb much to Desmond’s annoyance. “Do you know what they call ekimmu in this land?” he asked her. She shook her head. When Desmond’s father smiled it was all teeth. “Vampires.” Her eyes widened. “Turn her,” he said.

“What?” Desmond asked. He had no idea. No idea what that meant or even what his father meant. Lucy did though. Vampires were some of the greatest threats and could wipe entire towns off a map in a single night. Humans had hunted them to extinction on this continent. And yet, here she was with two of them. One she loved and the other who was going to save her.

“Before she dies my stupid son,” and he grabbed Desmond’s wrist and dug his nails in. Desmond cried out and squirmed as they cut into the underside of Desmond’s arm and made him bleed. “You have disobeyed me enough because of this girl. Now she will be _your_ responsibility. I doubt you will have many complaints. Open your mouth, girl,” he ordered.

“Why?”

“If you don’t you will die.”

Lucy opened her mouth with difficulty and the older ekimmu held it open and held Desmond’s arm over her mouth. Blood dripped into her open mouth and she tried not to gag. “Blood of the halfbreed, so you won’t suffer as I suffer, girl. And the bite of the sire,” her eyes widened when he took her hand now and bit deeply into her wrist. She screamed, the bite reigniting the pain from the bullet in her chest. “And to finish,” he said, mouth covered in her blood. They pressed Lucy and Desmond’s bloody wrists together, their blood mixing.

Lucy had trouble breathing as she went into shock from the entire ordeal. “You’re about to die,” he told Lucy. “Don’t be afraid, it is only a half death. You’ll be with us again soon.”

“Dad, what?”

“Heh. There is more I have to teach you, son. But for another time. Bring her. We are going home.” With that he stood and walked away. Desmond looked down at Lucy and picked her up. She mostly hung off his arms limply. She felt more dead than alive and couldn’t move her body at all. Blood dripped off her arm onto the grass. Above her the sky was a beautiful blue. It was getting difficult to think and she just closed her eyes as they entered the forest. On the way to where they were going she died and did not wake.


	4. Epilogue

Heaven was soft as a new chick. All fluff and down and smelled of new life. Lucy snuggled into the warmth. As she did a thought came to her.

She was alive.

She was awake in an instant and sat up, starting the figure next to her. A scream lodged itself in her throat but didn’t burst out. It was the eagle-bat, bent over and watching over her. When she sat up it jerked upright and gave a concerned croak of a squeak. She pushed herself further from it, deeper into the bed she was on. Everything was stressful and terrifying. Where was she? What was going on?

She made herself focus, tried to calm herself down. She looked around where she was. It came to her slowly. Desmond’s room. She was in Desmond’s room. The books were all gone, and so was half of his things. But this, this was his bed. She blushed at the thought.

Someone came into the room, it wasn’t Desmond. It was his father. “Finally awake,” he said.

“I— what? What’s going on?” she asked as he walked in, the eagle-bat crawling on its legs and wing claws after him.

“Drink this,” he handed her a cup filled with some sort of fruit juice.

“I don’t-

“I said _drink_ ,” he ordered and this time she obeyed. It didn’t taste like berries. It tasted salty but also like wine and somehow like a fresh steak. She found she didn’t hate it. “Good,” he took the cup from her when she was done and she wiped her mouth.

“What was that?”

“Deer blood,” he said.

“W-what!?” she shrieked.

His face scrunched up a bit. “You’re an ekimmu now,” he said and sat on the edge of the bed.

“A vampire. You— you turned me into a vampire.”

“Only half a vampire,” he said. “Enough of one to save your life.”

“W-what? How? Why?”

“Because I love my son,” he said. “And so do you.” She came up short and looked upon the ekimmu with new eyes. She always thought of him as this dangerous being with his white bow and grim face, telling Desmond to do away with her. Now she saw him _really_ as Desmond’s father, who’d lost his own love and was doing everything in his power to protect his son. His son who was the last forest spirit in this wood.

“Who are you?” she asked him.

“My name is Altair, this is Malik,” he nodded at the eagle-bat.

“Where’s Desmond?”

“He is gone,” he said gravely. “He couldn’t stay, though you should know he stayed as long as he could. But he’s been without a tree his entire life, it finally caught up with him. He left to find it.”

“And me?”

“You,” he looked down at her. “You will see him in time.”

“In time? What’s that mean?”

“You are a new ekimmu and my daughter now. It would be irresponsible of me to allow you into the world without telling you all you need to know. Not to mention cruel to let you go on living all those lies the humans have about our kind.”

“Like what?”

“Everything you know of us is a lie,” he said in soft sincerity.

“How long will this take?” she asked. She just wanted to see Desmond again, make sure he was alright and let him know she was safe, alive even.

“Depends on how stubborn and bad of a student you are,” Altair said.

“What about my family? My brother, mother?”

“That man told them you were dead. That something in the forest _ate you_.” That made her shiver. “They came looking for your remains, but they gave up. You’ve been here twelve days.”

“Twelve days—“ she frowned. He nodded. “They think I’m dead?”

“Yes. Wasn’t hard to convince them. You never went home. They mourned you.”

“Can’t I go see them, tell them I’m not dead?”

“You _are_ dead,” Altair said. “You suffered a half death, and you do not belong to the human world anymore. You are one of us now. Do your best to forget them. Mourn them if you wish, but I _forbid_ you from going to see them.” She frowned but he was unflinching. He got up elegantly and stood before her. “Get dressed, there are clothes for you,” he nodded at a trunk against the wall. “I have much to teach you about your half life. We begin when you leave this room.” Then without further ceremony he got up and left her. Malik the eagle-bat crawled after him and the door was closed, leaving Lucy alone.

She got out of bed slowly and went to the trunk, opening it. It was _her_ clothes. How had they gotten them? She looked at the door. Somehow she knew she didn’t want to know. Lucy got dressed and left the room. Altair was waiting for her in one of the chairs and Malik was gone.

“Ready?” he asked her.

“I don’t know,” she swallowed. Everything felt awkward and strange and the huge scar on the underside of her wrist was there. Healed but a reminder of her nature. The scar was in the shape of Altair’s mouth and made her self conscious.

He came over to her and pulled something from his pocket. He handed it to her. “My son made sure you got this when you woke up,” he said. She looked at it. It was the white knife. “He said to hold on to it for him, he expects it back. Now, are you ready?”

She looked up at him, “Yes,” she said and tucked her knife into the pocket of her skirt.

“Then lets begin,” and he led her outside to her new life.

—

It was spring again. She’d never seen the forest so beautiful and full of life than the past year. Even the winter had been mild. Altair said it was because a spirit lived in the forest again. Back before they’d all been cut this forest had been a thriving jungle that housed dozens of forest creatures from elves to unicorns and everything in between with a network of forest spirits to see peace to all the creatures that lived here. Most of them were all gone now, driven out by humans or killed for sport. There hadn’t been a protective forest spirit in these woods in decades he’d told her and now that Desmond had come of age she could finally see what spring was _supposed_ to look like. Or a shadow of it at least. Desmond could do much to brighten the forest but there were places he couldn’t touch, even he had a range.

Lucy was excited to see Desmond. She’d spent the entire year with Altair and Malik. It had been a long year but Altair finally felt she was ready to be left alone, that she had enough control and knowledge to live without him guiding her. She admitted in the beginning it had been hard, when the Thirst consumed her. It was a thirst, but it was also hunger. Ekimmu didn’t just drink blood, they ate flesh, sometimes cooked, other times raw. The Thirst could drive an ekimmu crazy he told her, so she should try to satisfy it. Didn’t matter with what. Humans thought it had to be with human blood but that was a lie. Any blood would do, humans were just easy to hunt and gave a lot of blood.

Now they were on their way to Desmond. Altair said it was mostly for her but she knew he was lying. She could see the strain on him it’d been to be away from his son for so long. Altair had missed Desmond too.

Desmond lived far away now though. Close to the mountains. It had seemed impossible for Lucy to ever go there before but with Altair nothing was impossible. They walked the entire way and because Lucy only had the blood of a half ekimmu in her veins she tired where Altair didn’t. Half blood meant she’d still age and grow old, only very slowly, just like Desmond did. Altair, as far as he knew, was immortal. They stopped only a few times for her, the others were to eat when she got hungry. She still got hungry often and Altair used those opportunities to watch her, make sure she could fend for herself without him around to bring her food.

It took them two days to get to Desmond. She knew because she suddenly felt a change in her body. She mentioned it to Altair. “It is because you share blood,” he said. “His blood turned you and there is a bond between you now. Not as ours,” he added. No, Altair was her sire and had limited control over her. “But a close bond regardless. I’m sure he’ll be waiting for us.”

He was. Desmond was standing in the trees and looked like he wanted to run to her but was bound by an invisible leash. Instead he just stared, vibrating in his skin. She ran to him and he caught her, lifting her up and spinning her. When he set her down he kissed her like they’d never been apart. He kissed her like the spring, alive and joyous, savoring the way her lips felt on his.

“You’re alive,” he whispered when he could finally stand to pull himself away from her even a little bit.

“Thanks to you, and your father,” she said with a smile. He kissed her again and then held her to him tightly. She wrapped her arms around him and he didn't let her go for a long time.

“How far are we?” Altair asked, drawing them away from each other.

Desmond smiled at him, “Hours yet,” he said proudly.

“Good.” Desmond let her go so the two of them could embrace warmly. Lucy smiled at that. “Let's see your tree,” he said with surprising gentleness.

“Alright,” Desmond nodded and let go of Altair so he could hold Lucy’s hand. “You're going to stay with me?” he asked her.

She looked at Altair, she was so used to just _checking_ with him now that she didn’t even think of it, he didn't protest. “Yes,” she said. “Forever.”

Desmond beamed at her. “Then let's go home,” he said and led them away to where he'd found his tree and their new home.

-Fin-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are nice =u=/

**Author's Note:**

> Also ekummi are real things. Aaaay for non traditional vampires from different legends around the world.


End file.
